Best Virginia, the West Virginia alumni team, looks to put on a show in front of their home crowd
Best Virginia came into last year’s tournament as the three seed, and took care of business in round one, beating the opponent by 25 points. That was all for them, as they suffered a round two loss to cut their tournament short. That’s their second straight second-round exit, a result they’re not pleased with.
Now, with the home court behind them, and a team full of great West Virginia alumni, Best Virginia looks to replicate their 2022 quarterfinal appearance and more.
Roster:
- Eduardo Andre (West Virginia)
- JD Weatherspoon (Ohio State & Toledo)
- James Reese V (North Texas & South Carolina)
- Jarrod West (Marshall University & Louisville)
- Jermaine Haley Jr. (New Mexico State & West Virginia)
- John Flowers (West Virginia)
- Kedrian Johnson (West Virginia)
- Tobi Okani (West Virginia)
- Tre Mitchell (West Virginia)
- Wesley Harris (West Virginia)
- Will Vorhees (Notre Dame College)
Coaching Staff:
- John Flowers (GM)
- Gregory Richardson (GM)
- Jarrod West (Head Coach)
- Ronald Everhart (Asst. Coach)
- Donald Klummer (Asst. Coach)
Region: West Virginia
All-time Record: 8-5
First Matchup: vs. DuBois Dream (July 18th at 8:00 p.m EST)
Team MVP: Tre Mitchell
Mitchell spent just one season at West Virginia, but was good in that one year, averaging 11.7 PPG and 5.5 RPG. He’s a great athlete, and while he didn’t showcase it as much at West Virginia, he did at other stops that he’s a great rebounder. They’ll look to Mitchell to stretch the floor for Best Virginia and lead the frontcourt.
Mitchell is making his TBT debut, so there might be a bit of a learning curve. Once he figures it out, though, he could easily be the team MVP and one of the best players in the region.
Make-or-break Player: Wesley Harris
Harris is the only player from last year’s team to suit up in this year’s tournament, which is pretty insane. They’re glad he is, though, since he led the team in scoring, averaging 14.0 PPG in the two games they played. He also grabbed 5.5 RPG and averaged a steal and a block. As the “veteran” on the team, they’ll look to him to be a leader, especially on day one.
He doesn’t have to be the leading scorer, but if he can set the tone and get his team out of tough situations with that experience, he’ll be rewarded in the long run. It’s a big responsibility, though, and if he struggles, Best Virginia might fall into an early hole that they can’t get out of, as we saw the last few years.
Team Outlook
Best Virginia looks to continue their streak of first-round victories against DuBois Dream. After that, a tough game against the two seed, Herd That. Expect a great atmosphere for that matchup featuring two West Virginia alumni schools.
Joining the team this year is Tobi Okani, who just finished his time with West Virginia. Defensively, he could be an X factor for this team. Kedrian Johnson is also a recent grad and will be a key piece in the backcourt. Best Virginia hopes to be the best and will have the chance to showcase that soon.
[…] Dream will face Best Virginia in round one, who, as mentioned earlier, they played in 2023. If they can get their revenge and […]