MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The majority of West Virginia’s roster has adapted well to playing for Darian DeVries early into the tenure of the first-year West Virginia head coach — something only two Mountaineers had done previously while at Drake.
Yet as the Mountaineers continue to come together in the relatively early stages of what’s been a strong first five weeks, the ability of the the personnel to buy into specific roles and do what’s required for the good of the team has left DeVries as impressed as anything else he’s seen through eight games.
“That’s where we’ve grown the most these last couple weeks,” DeVries said following WVU’s 13-point win over Georgetown last Friday. “It takes a while when you have all these new guys coming from different schools and now they’re all getting thrown together and you start playing games. Where do I fit in? How do I best utilize my talents to fit into helping us win?
“I feel like that role acceptance on teams is a huge part of winning and what keeps some teams from winning is an inability to do that. Our guys are completely bought into whatever I have to do to help the team and they’re growing into that now. That’s fun to see as a coach.”
West Virginia (6-2) has put that on display to this point, utilizing the same starting five of Javon Small, Sencire Harris, Tucker DeVries, Toby Okani and Amani Hasnberry for all eight games.
Freshmen Jonathan Powell and KJ Tenner are the only other players to appear in all eight games thus far, while reserve center Eduardo Andre has seen action in all seven contests he was healthy enough to play in. Guard Joseph Yesufu, who previously played two seasons at Drake under coach DeVries, has appeared in five contests.
No other Mountaineer has played more than three games.
Small has led the Mountaineers in scoring four times over the last five contests and scored in double figures in every game.
“I’ve always felt like I’ve had a pretty key role or some responsibilities, but I do whatever the team needs me to do for us to win,” Small said.
DeVries has been the team’s high scorer in three contests.
The 6-foot-8 Hansberry is regularly playing center and giving up a few inches to opponents, but is third on the team with an average of 11.8 points to go with a team-high 6.9 rebounds. Hansberry has at least five boards in six games.
“He’s continuing to grow and figure it out as an undersized guy,” coach DeVries said. “He’s having to compete in the post against 7-footers every night. He’s learning how to do that. I love Amani. His approach is incredible. He comes every day with a smile on his faces. He’s a great teammate and all about winning, too.”
Okani has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in four straight games and scored in double digits on each occasion. At 6-foot-8, the swingman is imperative to the team’s success through his ability to defend different positions and provide scoring punch.
“It’s great to see him finding that rhythm and confidence,” coach DeVries said. “He’s playing at a high level right now for us.”
Harris has yet to register a double-figure scoring game and is 0-for-14 on three-pointers, but the 6-4 guard is a high-level defender capable of making a major impact in various ways outside of point production.
In a win over Gonzaga earlier this season, Harris helped hold standout Bulldog point guard Ryan Nembhard to seven points on 1-for-10 shooting. Against the Hoyas, Harris was largely responsible for slowing down guard Jayden Epps after halftime. Epps went to halftime with 13 points and having made 5-of-6 shots, but finished with 17 points on 6-for-14 shooting.
The Hoyas finished with only eight assists.
“I feel like some of it was the crowd impacting their inability to communicate and run plays,” coach DeVries said. “Once they couldn’t get into stuff, they had to try to default into some 1-on-1 type situations, which then takes away their ability to get assists. Our guys did a really good job, too.
“That was my concern coming into it. We can guard their actions but can we guard them 1-on-1 when the action breaks down? They’re aggressive. They’re good scorers. Our guys did a really good job of trying to take away strong of their strong hands and also making them play in crowds. That’s why we’re able to get some of those deflections, get hands on balls and make those driving lanes crowded.”
Powell has struggled shooting of late but is third on the team with 14 threes, 12 of which came over his first four college contests. Tenner has at least six points in half the games, while the 6-11 Andre is the team’s tallest player regularly logging minutes and leads the team with 14 blocks. Andre has recorded multiple blocks in four games, including four in his return to the lineup against the Hoyas after going his previous two games without one.
“It was good to have him back in the lineup for a reason,” coach DeVries said. “That presence, especially defensively, and that ability to block shots is a huge deal for us. He had four of them, so a big difference in the game.”
After four straight games against Power Conference competition, the Mountaineers get a break from it until New Year’s Eve when they open Big 12 play at Kansas.
Starting with Tuesday’s 7 p.m. home game against North Carolina Central, West Virginia faces three straight teams from mid-major leagues and the Mountaineers seek to avoid a letup.
The Eagles (4-7) and Mountaineers meet for the first time inside the WVU Coliseum, and DeVries wants to see his team continue to display the traits that have allowed for an encouraging start to his tenure in Morgantown.
“We have to play a certain way for us to be good,” he said. “The way we played in the second half [against Georgetown], I’ll take that team anywhere. You have to be able to do that every night and every single possession. You don’t always get to go on a 16-0 run to pull you out of it. That’s where we’re still growing as a team is learning to do that every day whether it be in games or practice. When we get to that point, we’ll be able to maximize what we’re capable of.”
Tuesday will mark NC Central’s third game in six days. The Eagles are 2-4 in games decided by six or fewer points, including a three-point loss to Radford last Thursday and a one-point win over Gardner-Webb in their most recent outing Saturday.