It may be the secret to some, but the West Virginia Mountaineers may have the best kept secret in College Basketball. That player is Juwan Staten from Dayton, Ohio. Staten is the floor general for the Mountaineers, and is having a great year after failing to live up to the expectations coming out of Thurgood Marshall High School in Dayton.
Staten started off his career at home, and played for the Dayton Flyers. Things did not go as planned, and Staten took his talents to Morgantown, West Virginia. Staten’s sophmore year he put up similar numbers to what he put up at UD, and it appeared that his game may not translate to the collegiate level.
This season Staten is averaging 18.3 ppg. 6.0 apg, and 6.0rpg. Staten’s numbers are great, but I think that his tempo, shooting percentage (51% from the field and 35% from the three), and leadership has been just as impressive. Staten’s numbers basically doubled compared to the past few seasons, which shows his testament to improve as a player.
Tonight Staten put his talents on a national display against the eleventh ranked Iowa St Cyclones. Staten played a great all-around game, and is possibly pushing the Mountaineers to a potential NCAA Tournament bid. There is still a lot of time left in the season, and at the rate that Staten is going he will no longer be one the best kept secrets in the country and the Mountaineers may be dancing in March.
