West Virginia basketball is about to enter a new era that will potentially get them back on track to a successful program.
West Virginia basketball was at the center of so much drama last season that it’s hard to even recap what went down on the court. Between losing their beloved head coach and most of their players, it’s a wonder that there even was a team going out with gold and blue jerseys on.
They’re looking forward to a fresh start this season, starting with former Drake coach Darian DeVries. DeVries is fresh off of a NCAA Tournament appearance after leading the Bulldogs to a Missouri Valley Conference Championship. He branches off of the coaching trees of both Dana Altman and Greg McDermott while serving as an assistant at Creighton.
This new Mountaineer roster is a total 180 compared to last year’s. Only sophomore forward Ofri Naveh has dawned a West Virginia uniform prior to this season. This doesn’t necessarily mean that this team isn’t experienced though. 11 out of the 13 guys have played at the collegiate level, some even coming from well known programs like Illinois and Oklahoma State.
After a tournament in Italy this summer where the Mountaineers went undefeated, a couple of names had some big performances that look promising for the upcoming season. Utility player Tucker DeVries had 26 points in the final Italy game, proving that his playing time won’t have anything to do with the last name on his jersey. Freshman guard Jonathan Powell lit up the three point line in the same game, finishing with 16 points.
The monster known as the Big 12 well definitely rear its head at the fresh-faced West Virginia squad, but it looks as if this season could be a little more successful with the newfound sense of structure around the program.
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Head coach: Darian DeVries (1st season at West Virginia, 7th season overall)
2023-24 record: 9-23Â (4-14)
2024 postseason finish:Â No postseason
Notable departures:Â
- Raequan Battle (16.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 1.0 SPG)
- Jesse Edwards (15.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.2 APG)
- Quinn Slazinski (12.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.2 APG)
- Kerr Kriisa (11.0 PPG, 4.7 APG, 2.5 RPG)
- Noah Farrakhan (7.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.7 APG)
Notable non-conference games:Â
- at Pittsburgh (Nov. 15)
- Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 27-29)
- vs. Georgetown (Dec. 6)
Projected Rotation
PG: Javon Small (6-3, 195, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 15.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.1 APG (Oklahoma State)
SG: Jayden Stone (6-4, 200, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 20.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.7 APG (Detroit Mercy)
SF: Toby Okani (6-8, 210, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 11.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.9 APG (UIC)
PF: Tucker DeVries (6-7, 210, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 21.6 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.7 APG (Drake)
C: Eduardo Andre (6-11, 250, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 7.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 1.1 BPG (Fresno State)
6: Joseph Yesufu (6-0, 180, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 6.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.8 APG (Washington State)
7: Amani Hansberry (6-8, 240, So.)
2023-24 stats: 2.4 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.3 APG (Illinois)
8: Sencire Harris (6-4, 170, So.)
2023-24 stats: 3.7 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.9 APG (Illinois)
9: Ofri Naveh (6-6, 185, So.)
2023-24 stats: 2.6 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 0.8 APG
10: Jonathan Powell (6-6, 180, Fr. )
247Sports Composite #139 ranked recruit
West Virginia Basketball Team MVP: Tucker DeVries
There’s a lot of unknown about this upcoming season, but the talent that Tucker DeVries brings to the court is evident. His accolades include Larry Bird Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and the MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year. He also ranks ninth in NCAA Division I in scoring (21.6 PPG) and is one of five players with 1,800 points since the 2021-22 season.
DeVries has already shined in the Italy tour, giving fans a sneak peek of what they should expect out of him this season. The situation reminds me a lot of John Beilein coming to WVU in the early 2000s and bringing along his son Patrick to play for the Mountaineers. Both Beilein’s were successful on the court and helped create major milestones within WVU’s basketball program. If the future is anything like that era, I don’t think there would be many complaints.
West Virginia Basketball make-or-break player: Joseph Yesufu
Yesufu isn’t lacking talent. I remember him as a Kansas Jayhawk that would come in and give the Mountaineers a run for their money. He also won some nice awards while at Drake that add to his long resumé. What is concerning is his ability to stay healthy. He’s suffered two injuries during his college career. The most recent one happened last year at Washington State that left him out for the season.
One unique thing about Yesufu is his familiarity with Big 12 competition. He’s one of very few on the team who has competed in what is arguably the best conference in college basketball. That familiarity could be crucial to this inexperienced WVU team that boasts multiple players coming from smaller conferences. If Yesufu is able to stay healthy, he could have a great year to close out his collegiate career.
Key analytic: Rebounds
I said rebounds, but what I really meant to say was size. I know that’s not an analytic, but this is what this team is lacking the most. When you take a look at the roster, you see a lot of guards and not a lot of post players. This team is undersized which is a little concerning for a Big 12 team. Not having size on a team can dictate so many different stats: rebounds, blocked shots, second-chance points, points in the paint. The list could go on. It’ll be interesting to see how this team will fare when up against the giants of the Big 12 big men.
West Virginia State Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 13th in Big 12
Projected postseason ceiling: NIT Appearance