MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia forward Oscar Tshiebwe has left the team for personal reasons and with no plans to return this season. His absence is a blow to the ninth-ranked Mountaineers heading into the heart of the Big 12 schedule.

“Did it catch me by surprise? No,” coach Bob Huggins said during a conference call Friday. “What do we do going forward? We win more games.”

Tshiebwe played high school basketball at Kennedy Catholic and helped his team defeat Bishop Carroll in the 2018 PIAA semifinals.

Huggins didn’t specify why Tshiebwe left or why the coach felt the move wasn’t unexpected. When asked if there was a chance the 6-foot-9 Congolese sophomore would return, Huggins said, “No, absolutely not. No return.”

Huggins said Tshiebwe has the team’s full support.

Tshiebwe’s production has slipped this season after he led the team in scoring and rebounding as a freshman a year ago. He’s fifth on the team in scoring this season and was questioned about his confidence after a 73-51 win over Northeastern on Tuesday.