West Virginia announced the suspension of forward Esa Ahmad this afternoon, making official a rumor that had long been circulating around Morgantown. The starting forward will miss "the first half of the 2017-18 regular season" because he "did not meet NCAA eligibility requirements," the release from the school stated.

Previous requests by EerSports for comment on the rumors were not returned. Head Coach Bob Huggins will have his first meeting with the media on Thursday afternoon.

Ahmad averaged 11.3 points and 4.3 rebounds last season, good for second and third on the team, respectively.