Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
Freshman Sadler Not Clowning Around in Morgantown
September 21, 2026 05:33 PM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – It's probably safe to assume that highly touted West Virginia University freshman guard Miles Sadler is not a big fan of clowns.
The most well-known and popular clown related to basketball would be Ronald McDonald, the mascot for the national food chain McDonald's, which has been the forever-sponsor of the longest running and most prestigious high school all-star game in the country.
Established in 1977, the McDonald's All-America Game includes the who's who of basketball over the last five decades, including the likes of Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
Sadler, considered one of the top prep players in the class of 2026, certainly felt like his credentials were worthy enough to be included in the 24-player event. The tournament committee, chaired by Joe Wootten, son of legendary DeMatha coach Morgan Wootten, and his wife, Terri Lynn, felt otherwise.
Conspiratorial-minded fans here in West Virginia have postulated that Sadler might have been assessed the "West Virginia penalty" because he signed with the Mountaineers in the fall well before game rosters were announced.
Had he signed with Tennessee, Oklahoma, UCLA, USC, Maryland or some of the other power conference programs that he considered, their reasoning goes, he's eating Happy Meals until his heart is content.
West Virginia has had only two signees play in the game - forwards Chris Brooks in 1986 and Oscar Tshiebwe in 2019. Guard Greg Simpson was also a participant in 1992, but his college career began at Ohio State before transferring to West Virginia.
Sadler, a consensus top-25 national recruit who opened many eyes with a unicorn-like 21-point, 12-assist, 14-steal triple-double against the Dubai national team, as well as his ridiculously stellar play in the Nike Hoops Summit, said he prefers eating Chipotle anyway.
"Once I got snubbed from McDonald's that was when I was like, 'Yeah, I've got to do something different,'" he said earlier today following the team's first official practice of the preseason. "March comes, you win two national (high school) championships, and that was like the turning point for me.
"I don't think anybody in my house talked to me for like three days after that," he continued. "I was pretty mad about that, but it's very beneficial for me now and I will always have that chip on my shoulder."
Keenan Cummings, who covers college football and college basketball recruiting for West Virginia's On3 site wvsports.com, called Sadler's snubbing "stunning."
"No one in the profession could believe it," he said.
Nothing like a little ammo for someone as gifted and talented as Sadler.
The professional folks are already enamored with his explosiveness and speed, one anonymous scout likening him to a fearless punt returner on the basketball court. He says Sadler dribbling with the basketball is faster than most players without it.
College coaches from one side of the country to the other told Sadler everything he wanted to hear about how they planned to use his great speed and quickness on their basketball team.
West Virginia's Ross Hodge took a different approach.
He talked to Sadler about the things in his game that still needed fine-tuning, specifically his tendency of leaving his feet close to the basket simply because he was good enough to get away with it in high school.
The NIL-transfer-portal-era college basketball game is now full of grown men who devour players like that. Sadler calls Hodge "real" and his message of reality was something Sadler appreciated when everyone else was filling up his head with crazy talk.
"Most of the time on visits, coaches tell you everything that you want to hear, and (Hodge) was talking about my flaws," Sadler explained. "That really stood out to me because he was being real - and I do feel like I have a lot of things in my game that I need to fine-tweak and develop.
"You don't hear it often when you are a five-star coming out of high school and people are just saying 'yes,' so you need those people around you in your circle who are going to tell you the real," he added. "Having your head coach as one of them is definitely a big plus. If he was going to tell me about my flaws during the recruiting process, I can only imagine what he was going to tell me once I got here. It was good that he gave me that taste early because it wasn't what I wanted to hear, but what I needed to hear."
Of course, Hodge is no dummy. There was lots of sugar sprinkled in there as well because Sadler is the type of rare talent who can change the direction of a program.
Not only is Sadler an unusual talent, but his reputation playing at powerful Belle Vista Prep in Scottsdale, Arizona, has helped West Virginia land other talented players, including several of his Belle Vista teammates.
Seven-footer Amadou Seini is one of them. Freshmen Alio Dioum and Jelani McKoy are two others.
Top transfer portal target Mouhamed Sylla, a top-25 recruit two years ago who played last season at Georgia Tech, also spent a year with Sadler at Bella Vista.
From players one through 15, whichever order that ends up being, this could be one of the most athletically gifted hardwood rosters ever assembled at West Virginia. At the very least, the 7-footers are legitimate 7-footers, and the overall length is real, to borrow one of Sadler's favorite words.
There are enough long and athletic guys running around out there that all Sadler has to do is get past his guy and get the basketball somewhere close to the rim.
"We've got five people who can probably jump 40-plus inches. Whoever wants it can get it," Sadler marveled.
"I'm around a good group of guys, older guys, who are teaching me the right things," he explained. "If I'm an older guy, I don't necessarily want to listen to a guy fresh out of high school, so just knowing that so they can build that respect and trust in me because I'm always out for them, too."
Off the court, Sadler admits he's still getting used to his new surroundings in Morgantown, West Virginia. He lived in Brampton, Ontario, until he was 12 before moving to Arizona.
Therefore, Morgantown falls somewhere in the middle geographically and culturally.
"It was definitely good that I was closer to Canada, but just being in a new city and a new environment was probably the thing I was most uncomfortable about," he observed. "Learning that these people are really adamant about sports here so realizing, not just me but the other freshmen on the team, all of us were scared about coming to a new city, and I feel like Morgantown has welcomed us very well."
He says he still has a little bit of anonymity when he goes out to the grocery store, although he understands that's about to change once the Mountaineer basketball games start showing up on people's televisions.
He is also well-versed with the expectations associated with being a five-star recruit and how sometimes those expectations can get carried away, but he doesn't dwell on it.
He's more interested in becoming a better version of himself and Morgantown, West Virginia, is a perfect location away from the intense microscope to grow and develop at a realistic pace.
"I can only control the controllables, at the end of the day," he shrugged. "I'm not necessarily trying to live up to any expectations. I'm just going to be me."
As for WVU, he's already comfortable with one important aspect of becoming a Mountaineer. He's got the words to the song down pat!
"I think I've got it nailed now," he said. "I don't know if I'm ready to sing it after the game yet, but I've learned it. That's one thing I definitely like about West Virginia."
Another is the local Chipotle.
"They know my order by heart now. I always get three vinaigrettes and they have them lined up the second I walk in," he concluded.
The most well-known and popular clown related to basketball would be Ronald McDonald, the mascot for the national food chain McDonald's, which has been the forever-sponsor of the longest running and most prestigious high school all-star game in the country.
Established in 1977, the McDonald's All-America Game includes the who's who of basketball over the last five decades, including the likes of Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
Sadler, considered one of the top prep players in the class of 2026, certainly felt like his credentials were worthy enough to be included in the 24-player event. The tournament committee, chaired by Joe Wootten, son of legendary DeMatha coach Morgan Wootten, and his wife, Terri Lynn, felt otherwise.
Conspiratorial-minded fans here in West Virginia have postulated that Sadler might have been assessed the "West Virginia penalty" because he signed with the Mountaineers in the fall well before game rosters were announced.
Had he signed with Tennessee, Oklahoma, UCLA, USC, Maryland or some of the other power conference programs that he considered, their reasoning goes, he's eating Happy Meals until his heart is content.
West Virginia has had only two signees play in the game - forwards Chris Brooks in 1986 and Oscar Tshiebwe in 2019. Guard Greg Simpson was also a participant in 1992, but his college career began at Ohio State before transferring to West Virginia.
Sadler, a consensus top-25 national recruit who opened many eyes with a unicorn-like 21-point, 12-assist, 14-steal triple-double against the Dubai national team, as well as his ridiculously stellar play in the Nike Hoops Summit, said he prefers eating Chipotle anyway.
"Once I got snubbed from McDonald's that was when I was like, 'Yeah, I've got to do something different,'" he said earlier today following the team's first official practice of the preseason. "March comes, you win two national (high school) championships, and that was like the turning point for me.
"I don't think anybody in my house talked to me for like three days after that," he continued. "I was pretty mad about that, but it's very beneficial for me now and I will always have that chip on my shoulder."
Keenan Cummings, who covers college football and college basketball recruiting for West Virginia's On3 site wvsports.com, called Sadler's snubbing "stunning."
"No one in the profession could believe it," he said.
Nothing like a little ammo for someone as gifted and talented as Sadler.
The professional folks are already enamored with his explosiveness and speed, one anonymous scout likening him to a fearless punt returner on the basketball court. He says Sadler dribbling with the basketball is faster than most players without it.
College coaches from one side of the country to the other told Sadler everything he wanted to hear about how they planned to use his great speed and quickness on their basketball team.
West Virginia's Ross Hodge took a different approach.
He talked to Sadler about the things in his game that still needed fine-tuning, specifically his tendency of leaving his feet close to the basket simply because he was good enough to get away with it in high school.
The NIL-transfer-portal-era college basketball game is now full of grown men who devour players like that. Sadler calls Hodge "real" and his message of reality was something Sadler appreciated when everyone else was filling up his head with crazy talk.
"Most of the time on visits, coaches tell you everything that you want to hear, and (Hodge) was talking about my flaws," Sadler explained. "That really stood out to me because he was being real - and I do feel like I have a lot of things in my game that I need to fine-tweak and develop.
"You don't hear it often when you are a five-star coming out of high school and people are just saying 'yes,' so you need those people around you in your circle who are going to tell you the real," he added. "Having your head coach as one of them is definitely a big plus. If he was going to tell me about my flaws during the recruiting process, I can only imagine what he was going to tell me once I got here. It was good that he gave me that taste early because it wasn't what I wanted to hear, but what I needed to hear."
Of course, Hodge is no dummy. There was lots of sugar sprinkled in there as well because Sadler is the type of rare talent who can change the direction of a program.
Not only is Sadler an unusual talent, but his reputation playing at powerful Belle Vista Prep in Scottsdale, Arizona, has helped West Virginia land other talented players, including several of his Belle Vista teammates.
Seven-footer Amadou Seini is one of them. Freshmen Alio Dioum and Jelani McKoy are two others.
Top transfer portal target Mouhamed Sylla, a top-25 recruit two years ago who played last season at Georgia Tech, also spent a year with Sadler at Bella Vista.
From players one through 15, whichever order that ends up being, this could be one of the most athletically gifted hardwood rosters ever assembled at West Virginia. At the very least, the 7-footers are legitimate 7-footers, and the overall length is real, to borrow one of Sadler's favorite words.
There are enough long and athletic guys running around out there that all Sadler has to do is get past his guy and get the basketball somewhere close to the rim.
"We've got five people who can probably jump 40-plus inches. Whoever wants it can get it," Sadler marveled.
"I'm around a good group of guys, older guys, who are teaching me the right things," he explained. "If I'm an older guy, I don't necessarily want to listen to a guy fresh out of high school, so just knowing that so they can build that respect and trust in me because I'm always out for them, too."
Off the court, Sadler admits he's still getting used to his new surroundings in Morgantown, West Virginia. He lived in Brampton, Ontario, until he was 12 before moving to Arizona.
Therefore, Morgantown falls somewhere in the middle geographically and culturally.
"It was definitely good that I was closer to Canada, but just being in a new city and a new environment was probably the thing I was most uncomfortable about," he observed. "Learning that these people are really adamant about sports here so realizing, not just me but the other freshmen on the team, all of us were scared about coming to a new city, and I feel like Morgantown has welcomed us very well."
He says he still has a little bit of anonymity when he goes out to the grocery store, although he understands that's about to change once the Mountaineer basketball games start showing up on people's televisions.
He is also well-versed with the expectations associated with being a five-star recruit and how sometimes those expectations can get carried away, but he doesn't dwell on it.
He's more interested in becoming a better version of himself and Morgantown, West Virginia, is a perfect location away from the intense microscope to grow and develop at a realistic pace.
"I can only control the controllables, at the end of the day," he shrugged. "I'm not necessarily trying to live up to any expectations. I'm just going to be me."
As for WVU, he's already comfortable with one important aspect of becoming a Mountaineer. He's got the words to the song down pat!
"I think I've got it nailed now," he said. "I don't know if I'm ready to sing it after the game yet, but I've learned it. That's one thing I definitely like about West Virginia."
Another is the local Chipotle.
"They know my order by heart now. I always get three vinaigrettes and they have them lined up the second I walk in," he concluded.
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