--West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries has really liked the progress they've made from June until now on offensive concepts. Ball movement has improved and defensively all the new guys and concepts and terminology they are starting to figure out the positioning. They're trying to clean up some things on the most on defense.
--They're added the two bigs late in the process and much needed. It's added to their depth on the front line. Hoping they're playing catch up and can grow and into bigger roles.
--On the trip to Italy DeVries found out some guys love the water, some guys don't and jokes about the pasta, too. You figure out who your team is on the Italy trip but on the basketball floor, he likes how they came together and played. They did what they needed to do int terms of playing well and got to play a lot of guys and get a lot of minutes.
--Yesufu is out there and working his way back to this point. There is familiarity and he understands the terminology and concepts. He understands the expectations and is doing some good things.
--The Big 12 is a good league and you understands the preseason rankings don't mean a lot in the portal era but it says a lot about those teams and what they have returning. They're excited about the challenges and opportunities but they know that they're going to be competing at a high level. The goal is to come out and compete every night and try to win every game. The wins and losses will play out as they get into the season. They have 29 practices before the first game.
--DeVries made sure they challenged themselves right away. It's a good non-conference schedule and they know what the league is going to be like. In order to be successful they need to be good in certain areas and that's what they were going to focus on.
--The team just started yesterday with practice and they are trying to practice as much as they will perform in a game.
--DeVries said they have a clear identity on what it should look like and some of the roles are starting to become more defined but there is competition and that's what they want.
--DeVries tries to play positionless offense and open up the floor as much as possible. There are times they are really positionless but on the offense end they have multiple guys that can handle it. Taking care of the basketball is something they talk about every day and getting as many good opportunities as they can. Amani Hansberry is an undersized five man but he will present some opportunities on the offensive end with his abilities to space the floor.
--Bigs have to touch the ball in space a lot but they have to have the ball at the top of the key and make decisions. Throw a back court pass, roll and pop and they are asked to be involved in the offense a lot more on the perimeter than most offenses would.
--DeVries is the ref every day so he gives them plenty of bad calls in practice. they try to put them in situations where it's stacked against them. The hardest thing for every team is you have to learn how to win together. A lot of times that doesn't happen early but it's a season long process from a mental toughness standpoint how to win those games.
--You learn something new all the time and make sure you take the steps to be successful.
--Jonathan Powell has done some really good things for them. He has a good approach and wants to get better. When you have somebody that is willing to take that mindset those mistakes are easy to overlook. He's doing some nice things and will have a good freshman year if they take the mindset.
--You should be able to walk in that gym and talk about how hard they're going to play. That's not only from the team but the coaching staff with the enthusiasm to compete.
--Connectivity as a defense is really important because things happen where you can't just draw up and script everything. How well do they cover for one another and the communication piece and anticipation and they've progressed a lot on that end of the floor.
--Nothing has stood out in terms of surprises, the thing you are most happy about is the approach is about getting better and sometimes that can turn.
--Earlier in the year the rotation will be bigger, but you want to settle into eight to nine type of rotation. You find out quickly and you have to have guys ready to step in. Joe Yesufu was an example of that during his time at Drake when he came in and filled in when two starters got hurt and took off.
--Every team is different.
--You just have to be smart with Tucker DeVries coming off an injury same thing with Joe Yesufu.
--Offensively if you're going to be 6-foot-7 and have the ability to shoot threes you have to take advantage of that with Amani Hansberry. You can't always have him popping and have to put pressure on the rim. Hansberry doesn't have to be the leading rebounder they need to have a group. The five they're undersized, but with Eduardo Andre they're about where they need to be. Defensive rebounding is a want to.
--Jayden Stone is a guy that averaged 20 points per game. He is figuring out how can he best utilize his talents on the offensive end. e has good athleticism and can get to the rim. He is getting more and more comfortable and he anticipates him playing a good role.
--Defensively they are still a work in progress but he believes they can be a good connected defensive team that has length in spots. They've shown flashes, but have a day where they take a step back but from June until now they've made strides they just have to continue to get better.
--DeVries didn't have a ton of time this summer, they did cancel practice and going bowling. He saw all different types of personalities that they hadn't seen on the basketball floor. He didn't anticipate that but the next day at practice he wanted that personality to come out in practice. That's what it's supposed to look like.
--DeVries said it's about getting to know everyone and if you need someone who do you call. It all comes with time and the process but the people have been unbelievably helpful and engaging and supportive as they adjust.
--Most of the focus has been on the 2025 recruits and the 2026 recruits as well. The philosophy is on the needs and how much do they take and see how it plays out in the fall but make sure you can fill needs. You have to be prepared for any scenario.
--In an ideal world you want to get the open scholarships to fill each year to 4-5-6 and it sets you up to have more consistency.
--DeVries said they are recruiting everywhere from coast to coast and even internationally as well. Three hours away is a good thing so you want to be incredibly strong in the region but you need to be able to touch all the areas.
--Chester Frazier is born and raised there with strong ties and they will recruit there.
--DeVries didn't have a ton of international players at Drake, they weren't able to recruit as much there financially as they can here. The game has become so worldwide that there are more kids willing to come over and play college basketball.
--Ofri Naveh has continued to work hard and gives them all he has. He's learning a new system or things but he's enjoyed the way he approaches it.
--It's a mix with transfers. You have to be able to do both in the spring if you have an unexpected departure you have to be strong in the portal. In the high school recruiting they are spreading a very wide net. The biggest thing is building those bonds with high school kids for the second time around as well.
--DeVries doesn't talk to his kids a lot about shot selection as he wants them to be aggressive and confident. He wants them to figure it out on their own. He wants guys that can score and have the green light to go do that. Players play better with freedom and confidence. Allowing players to be players and play through mistakes, but also understanding winning and losing. It's about playing to their strengths, but he never wants them to stop growing their games.
westvirginia.rivals.com
