WSOU
Messiah Hunter
Credit: Seton Hall Athletics

Pirate Preview: Messiah Hunter

Published: Sunday, October 27, 2024

by Anthony Collins

In an era of college basketball that relies heavily on NIL and the transfer portal, Seton Hall women’s basketball head coach Tony Bozzella didn’t miss a beat this offseason when it came to revamping this year’s roster. Besides being able to retain some key players, he and his staff made a huge impact within the transfer portal. One of the players that they went after in the offseason is Messiah Hunter, a redshirt-junior out of West Virgina.

Hunter never seemed to find her role within the team in her two years as a Mountaineer, after redshirting her freshmen year. Although she averaged about four minutes of play in fourteen games, it is clear to see that while her story hasn’t really begun yet, she has a promising career ahead of her in South Orange.  

Coach Bozzella sees a ton of potential with Hunter, especially looking at her ceiling for production after her performances in high school. She dominated at TPLS Christian Academy in Hopewell, Virginia, as she was a four-star prospect in the top 100 in the class of 2021. Additionally, ESPN ranked her as the 33rd best guard in the nation.  

When Hunter was playing at West Virginia, she had shown improvement each year. Within her minutes, she shot 46% from the floor last season, a step up from the 36% the year prior. This could lead to this coming season being the year where she gets more playing time, and the chance to truly take that next step. She has all the tools to be a go-to player going forward for the Pirates, and should be a fun watch this year.

Hunter possessed a ton of talent out of high school that was not used properly at West Virgina. However, that does not change the fact that Bozzella’s coaching staff are confident in their ability to develop players and accustom them to BIG EAST play. With Hunter’s skill set, they will have no problem helping her play a unique role on the team that fits her play style better. Whether this be as more of a shooting guard, in which she thrived in at high school averaging 17.7 points per game, or just in general with more opportunities all over the floor, the blue and white is ready for her. 

Anthony Collins can be reached at anthony.collins@student.shu.edu. 
 

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