PHILLY — With Joe Mazzulla and Darryl “Truck” Bryant both suspended from the West Virginia basketball program, who’s going to play point for the Mountaineers this year?
“[Da’Sean Butler] did last year, Devin [Ebanks] can play at the point,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said Thursday night at the Reebok All-American Camp.
Butler (pictured) is a Newark, N.J. native and Ebanks hails from Long Island City, N.Y.
Both are wing players and both are getting invaluable experience this summer. Butler scored 12 points Tuesday when the U.S. beat Serbia 68-66 in the World University Games in Serbia.
“Da’s playing with the World Univeristy Games and Devin’s been playing in the Nike stuff so that helps them,” Huggins said. “They both work, so they’re both going to get better.”
Bryant, a rising sophomore from Brooklyn, was indefinitely suspended for leaving the scene of an accident and faces four misdemeanors, including leaving the scene of an accident, according to the Charleston Gazette. No one was injured in the accident and Bryant is free on bond.
Huggins suspended Mazzulla indefinitely in April after the junior was charged following an altercation at a Morgantown bar, his second arrest in nine months.
“They’re indefinitely suspended,” Huggins said Thursday.
SNY.tv picked West Virginia to finish second in the Big East next season behind Villanova.
The Mountaineers bring in a strong recruiting class that also includes 6-8 Staten Island big man Danny Jennings, who is currently on campus working out; 6-9 PF Deniz Kilicli; 6-5 SG Dalton Pepper; and 6-4 SG Casey Mitchell.
Jennings has been on campus, while Mitchell and Pepper just arrived. Kilicli is playing with the Turkish National Team.The Mountaineers also return three key sophomores: Ebanks, Bryant and forward Kevin Jones of Mount Vernon. “I thought a year ago playing three freshman in our top six, I thought our guys did a heck of a job,” Huggins said. “We were in a lot of games that we didn’t win and you hope that with maturity…that that helps them.” .
