Sep. 24—MORGANTOWN — It’s the one question Mark Kellogg can’t seem to escape these days: Who is his top newcomer on the WVU women’s basketball team ?
“I get asked that all the time, ” Kellogg said Wednesday, just two days after the Mountaineers began preseason practice for the 2025-26 season.
It’s not like Kellogg doesn’t have options for an answer, whether it is transfers Gia Cooke (Houston), Carter McCray (Wisconsin) or Kierra Wheeler, who was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s Most Outstanding Player during the league’s tournament last season.
Or it might just be highly recruited freshman Madison Parrish, a 5-foot-11 guard out of Mason, Ohio.
All of them bring a certain level of anticipation to a program that finished last season 25-8 and ranked No. 21 in the country.
So, it just may be a question with no answer, like asking Kellogg to pick a favorite among his two children.
“All of them, ” Kellogg said. “They’re all going to have a role, so it’s hard for me to completely know who stands out. Gia Cooke played in the Big 12 (last season) at Houston and averaged double figures. Loghan Johnson was at Texas Tech and was a great fit for us.
“Kierra Wheeler had a great career at Norfolk State and had huge games against good competition. She had 20 points against Maryland in the NCAA tournament. Carter McCray averaged 7.1 rebounds at Wisconsin in the Big Ten. You just go up and down. They’re all there. It’ll be one of them or two or three of them will take some big steps for us. They have to.”
The veteran on the block Over her first two seasons at WVU, Jordan Harrison has scored 898 points, dished out 321 assists and recorded 167 steals.
Heading into her senior season, the point guard will be asked to contribute even more following the graduation of former standout J.J. Quinerly.
Kellogg said taking more 3-pointers will be a part of that. Last season, Harrison shot 37 % from behind the arc. Kellogg also wants to see Harrison’s assist numbers improve.
“I think she’ll be able to shine, ” Kellogg said. “I think the challenge for her is getting to know these new kids and see how she can make everyone better. Her assists should go up, we’ve challenged her with that.”
News and notes — WVU’s roster is currently at 11 players, but Kellogg said the possibility remains it may grow before the season.
“We may get one more eligible, ” he said. “We’re still waiting on a NCAA decision on one and a visa on one more. For now, we’re rolling with 11.”
— In Kellogg’s first season at WVU, the Mountaineers ranked last in the Big 12 in rebounding. Last season, WVU was 12th out of 16 teams.
With the addition of McCray and Wheeler—they combined for 16.1 rebounds per game at their schools last season—Kellogg said this group has the potential to be much better on the glass.
“That’s to be determined, but potentially yes, ” Kellogg said. “I don’t know if we’ll be a great rebounding team. It depends on lineups and who ends up with more minutes, but I think we’ll be better on that end.”
