The late afternoon sun glimmered off Milan Puskar Coliseum’s expanse as Morris Ugusuk stepped onto the hardwood for the first time in Mountaineer blue—his 6‑foot‑4, 170‑pound frame seeming to breathe with anticipation. The air hummed with echoes of past glory, and Ugusuk’s Finnish roots and SEC-honed instincts seemed to stir the ghosts of legendary West Virginia guards.
Officially announced June 9, 2025, by head coach Ross Hodge, Ugusuk arrived as a South Carolina transfer with two seasons of eligibility remaining . He brought with him the experience of 62 collegiate contests, a campaign of six starts in 2024‑25, and a role in an NCAA Tournament run . But more than stats, it was the vision he carried: a glint in his eye as he recalled dropping 20 points on Vanderbilt—6‑of‑8 from the field, 3‑for‑4 from deep—in a gritty 66‑63 loss that spoke to his readiness for pressure .
In a flashback, you can see him drifting along the arc at Columbia’s Colonial Life Arena, awaiting the pass in a moment suspended in time. He’d already torched Texas A&M, Indiana, Virginia Tech, and Oklahoma with a flurry of four triples in those arenas—his shot a smooth arc of calm and heat . Now, in Morgantown, the same release would be met with thunderous applause.
When Hodge stood at midfield court that humid afternoon, he didn’t just recite statistics—he delivered a promise. “Morris has been part of an NCAA Tournament and has great experience at the collegiate level,” he said, his gaze firm. “He is a great person and aligns with our vision of who we want to represent WVU and the state of West Virginia.” These weren’t hollow words—they were a pledge built on season‑long chemistry and character .
But the story stretched further back—to Helsinki, Finland, where Ugusuk’s basketball origins are etched in memory. At Drive Basketball Academy, he was dynamite: 17.2 points, 5.3 assists, 4.3 boards, 2.2 steals per outing—a European senior year so electric that West Virginia scouts tapped into that continental spark . His international pedigree deepened at the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship, where he averaged 9.1 points, 2.9 assists, and 1.7 steals, helping Finland clinch bronze .
As the press conference dissolved into handshakes and camera flashes, Ugusuk lingered on the sidelines. He dribbled a ball, felt the bounce, envisioned the distanced three he’d hurl—this time under the rim of the Coliseum, where West Virginia legends had fallen and risen. Two years of eligibility meant two seasons to carve his own echoes—among fans singing “Country Roads,” a coach sculpting a nation’s next dream team.
In the locker room that evening, someone scribbled his jersey number: 15. Beneath, the words: “Welcome home.” It wasn’t just athletics—it was alchemy. A Finnish sharpshooter, an NCAA-tested guard, now a Mountaineer. Morris Ugusuk stepped into the forge, game ready.
