CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Perhaps the greatest challenge of a coaching staff leading a squad in The Basketball Tournament is having to microwave a team building process with an economy of practices leading into the single-elimination event.
Best Virginia head coach Jarrod West had essentially one practice with the entire roster before taking the court in Friday’s tournament opener against Dubois Dream. However, BV passed all three tests in the West Virginia regional, including Tuesday’s 79-68 win over Elite Nation in the final.
“When we constructed this roster, I was adamant about no knuckleheads, no drama. You don’t have enough time to overcome it. I wanted adults in the room and I wanted professionals. We have had that,” West said.
“When you have professionals, you try to ‘keep it simple stupid’. You put some defensive principles in and have to buy in on playing hard, together and with chemistry. That’s what wins games, paying attention to detail. I give all these guys all the credit for doing that.”
Textbook defensive possession from Jarrod West in Best Virginia’s win on Tuesday: pic.twitter.com/Ap4EmRW3Sy
— Joe Brocato (@joebrowvm) July 23, 2025
In addition to the former Mountaineers and players with West Virginia connections like Clarksburg native Jarrod West and Fairmont State graduate Isaiah Sanders, players from outside the state have quickly blended into the roster. Former Ohio State and Toledo forward JD Weatherspoon came off the bench Tuesday to scored 16 points and grab eight rebounds in 25 minutes in the win over Elite Nation.
“There’s really no egos,” Weatherspoon said. “I can personally say that everyone just wants to win. Nobody is like, ‘Man, give me the ball. I need to score. Give me the ball’. There’s no pouting in the huddles. We’re sticking together and everyone is coachable. That’s what it takes to be a professional and win a million dollars. You can’t have knuckleheads. You can’t have people who think it is about them. We have come together as one.”
“I just met him four or five days ago and he is a great, great guy,” West said. “His energy and what he has done for us in the last two games, you can’t quantify it or put it on the stat sheet. What he did tonight is he got us jumpstarted. A couple of offensive rebounds and a massive dunk, once we got the crowd going, we were able to get some stops.”
WVU graduate Erik Stevenson was slated to play for Best Virginia but he was unable to after signing with the Miami Heat NBA Summer League team. However, Stevenson did recruit James Reese V to join the BV roster. Reese led Best Virginia with 24 points and six assists and he hit the game-winning jumper to clinch Tuesday’s win.
“That was my roommate at [South] Carolina,” Reese said. “He transferred to West V. He was the person that originally reached out to me to come. That’s how I got connected.”
Best Virginia will host Maryland alumni team Shell Shock in the TBT national quarterfinal round Monday. The game will be played at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center at 6 p.m. The winner will advance to the semifinal round on July 31.
“The way we play, we need to take a day or two off to get refreshed legs,” West said. “We’ll take care of our bodies, get home and get some good food in us and mentally decompress.”
With three wins secured and three more to win the championship, Best Virginia is halfway home to splitting the one million dollar purse that is awarded to the champion.
“I am married, so I have to say that is the best day of my life. I’ve got two kids so that is two and three. I hit a big shot [in the 1998 NCAA Tournament]. That’s four. A state championship [with Notre Dame H.S.] is five. If we win this million, somebody is going to have to bump down,” West said.