Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
LAS VEGAS – Honor Huff has been one of West Virginia’s most reliable players all season but he set the stage with a career night as they rallied to beat Oklahoma 89-82 in overtime to win the College Basketball Crown Championship.
Huff’s sharpshooting set the tone early and inspired his teammates throughout a game full of ups and downs.
“Honor obviously got us off to an incredible start with his shot making,” WVU head coach Ross Hodge said. “And we knew they were going to answer because they have so much talent on the offensive end of the floor. And we didn’t defend great, but I think they had a lot to do with this. They put us in space and put us in tough positions. And then like this group can do and has shown an ability to do all year long, when it looked like we were just about done for, the competitive spirit and their togetherness and their love for each other kicks in and made big plays, started getting stops”
The senior guard dropped a career-high 38 points and became the Mountaineers’ all-time 3-point leader, passing Frank Young’s 2007 record of 117 3s in a season.
“We have two of the best shooters in the country, you know, and, Honor led the country in threes last year, and he didn’t make one in the first game,” Hodge said. “So law of averages tells you he’s going to make a couple. And when you get outside of your league, like league play is such a grind and there’s such a familiarity with each other. And it’s a Saturday and a Tuesday and a Thursday and then a Sunday. And the time off probably helped to be honest, you get fresh and you get some rejuvenation. And again, I thought our guys just did a great job of making the right play and made the shots.”
A humble Huff put in the work but credits his teammates and coaches for lifting him.
“It’s really just these guys right here give me the confidence to, next shot mentality, that the next one’s gonna go in,” he said. “And coach always tells me, keep shooting and banging. He always tells me that on the sideline in my ear. So, it’s just they have the utmost confidence in me and I always had since the first game of the season.”
The Brooklyn native doesn’t get lucky with his three-point skills but he puts in the work.
“It definitely takes a level of conditioning, one, and a level of skill, two,” senior Brenen Lorient said. “So it’s been a really amazing season to see him play. He’s a really great shooter, probably the best shooter I ever played with, and I’m just happy I was here to play with him.”
Huff’s early scoring and leadership on the court were a critical factor in WVU capturing the Crown Championship, showing how one player’s star power can elevate the entire team.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
