--West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries said he felt that the guys competed and did some good things in the Bahamas.
--DeVries was most pleased with how Amani Hanbserry held his own at 6-foot-7 against some good size. He was pleased with how the rest of the team bought into team rebounding. That was the piece they haven't seen yet and in three straight nights.
--Georgetown has size and they'll see it tomorrow too.
--Jayden Stone is still day-to-day but Eduardo Andre is in a good spot. Stone is doing some things to get himself back and is progressing. Depending on practice, Andre is likely to return.
--This is the first time they get a really fully crowd and see what the Coliseum has to offer. Georgetown is playing really well and has a good record. It's a great game for the fan base and a great challenge as well.
--DeVries said they followed the challenges of the various conferences when he was at Drake. It's exciting for leagues to play each other but there are also some hard parts about it because you don't control the travel and home/road. He believes this is the last year for the Big 12-Big East Challenge.
--Every game is on its own with home/road and matchups. You want to do well as a league and want to do well anytime you're playing a non-conference opponent. When you get into league play you want to be in as strong of a position as you can as a league for at large opportunities.
--There's some pride that leagues take with wanting to win the challenge. Their focus is on what they need to do to win the game.
--Every year it's such a wide range with how the matchups are with the transfers and the portal. Their focus is on Georgetown and looking forward to playing them on Friday.
--DeVries felt that they got the right guys in there that were a program fit for their school and made sure that the pieces complemented each other. It was important to put a roster together with balance in the first year and were excited about being here and complementing each other in a good way.
--Georgetown has some very aggressive scorers and will get the ball inside. They have guys that can get a bucket on their own or the framework of the sets they run and they run a lot of different sets.
--DeVries said he is looking forward to seeing how his team responds to having a good weekend but they have not arrived and what unfolded was not the end game. The goal is to continue to improve and get better and maximize what this group is capable of. They have came back with a good mindset and positive outlook toward practice and they are continuing to want to be coached and get better.
--You learn from losing. They did get some positive reinforcement from a couple good wins in the Bahamas but those things only matter if you can carry it over and realize what led you to those outcomes.
--DeVries felt that Javon Small had a great three days but what he cares about is winning. He doesn't care how it happens whether that's 30 points or 8 assists. He is all bought into this team. The team itself takes on that identity of being gritty. They recognize they need to play that way to have success.
--Javon Small's numbers stood out and as you watched his film he's a talented player. He had gotten bigger this off-season and they wanted him to go the other direction and slim him down. What you saw last year, is what they wanted him to be as a lead guard. There is a guy on West Virgina's staff that was on Oklahoma State's staff so there was a connection there.
--Anytime you knock down eight threes in a game like Tucker DeVries did it's one of his better performances. Like a lot of scorers, when you see one or two go in you can get in that zone.
--Jonathan Powell is a really good shooter but you'll have games where they didn't go. He talked to him don't let it impact the rest of your game. He did that, he continued to stay involved and tried to defend. He gave them great effort. Hopefully Friday that's the night they go back in.
--I thought this weekend Toby Okani was incredibly valuable. Very efficient and he's really trying to adjust his game to fit what this team needs and he's done an unbelievable job of doing that. He is making threes, screening for other guys and defensively he can guard one through five.
--Toby Okani can shoot it and he's shooting it at a high rate right now. Defend, rebound and those type of things. The offensive piece is another great addition to it.
--DeVries said there were some things x's and o's wise they needed to fix a little bit. Toby Okani has done a better job moving around and getting other people open. Shot selection, their movement and other shots. Turnovers but defensive rebounding and taking care of the basketball if they're good in those areas they can win.
--DeVries was most pleased with how Amani Hanbserry held his own at 6-foot-7 against some good size. He was pleased with how the rest of the team bought into team rebounding. That was the piece they haven't seen yet and in three straight nights.
--Georgetown has size and they'll see it tomorrow too.
--Jayden Stone is still day-to-day but Eduardo Andre is in a good spot. Stone is doing some things to get himself back and is progressing. Depending on practice, Andre is likely to return.
--This is the first time they get a really fully crowd and see what the Coliseum has to offer. Georgetown is playing really well and has a good record. It's a great game for the fan base and a great challenge as well.
--DeVries said they followed the challenges of the various conferences when he was at Drake. It's exciting for leagues to play each other but there are also some hard parts about it because you don't control the travel and home/road. He believes this is the last year for the Big 12-Big East Challenge.
--Every game is on its own with home/road and matchups. You want to do well as a league and want to do well anytime you're playing a non-conference opponent. When you get into league play you want to be in as strong of a position as you can as a league for at large opportunities.
--There's some pride that leagues take with wanting to win the challenge. Their focus is on what they need to do to win the game.
--Every year it's such a wide range with how the matchups are with the transfers and the portal. Their focus is on Georgetown and looking forward to playing them on Friday.
--DeVries felt that they got the right guys in there that were a program fit for their school and made sure that the pieces complemented each other. It was important to put a roster together with balance in the first year and were excited about being here and complementing each other in a good way.
--Georgetown has some very aggressive scorers and will get the ball inside. They have guys that can get a bucket on their own or the framework of the sets they run and they run a lot of different sets.
--DeVries said he is looking forward to seeing how his team responds to having a good weekend but they have not arrived and what unfolded was not the end game. The goal is to continue to improve and get better and maximize what this group is capable of. They have came back with a good mindset and positive outlook toward practice and they are continuing to want to be coached and get better.
--You learn from losing. They did get some positive reinforcement from a couple good wins in the Bahamas but those things only matter if you can carry it over and realize what led you to those outcomes.
--DeVries felt that Javon Small had a great three days but what he cares about is winning. He doesn't care how it happens whether that's 30 points or 8 assists. He is all bought into this team. The team itself takes on that identity of being gritty. They recognize they need to play that way to have success.
--Javon Small's numbers stood out and as you watched his film he's a talented player. He had gotten bigger this off-season and they wanted him to go the other direction and slim him down. What you saw last year, is what they wanted him to be as a lead guard. There is a guy on West Virgina's staff that was on Oklahoma State's staff so there was a connection there.
--Anytime you knock down eight threes in a game like Tucker DeVries did it's one of his better performances. Like a lot of scorers, when you see one or two go in you can get in that zone.
--Jonathan Powell is a really good shooter but you'll have games where they didn't go. He talked to him don't let it impact the rest of your game. He did that, he continued to stay involved and tried to defend. He gave them great effort. Hopefully Friday that's the night they go back in.
--I thought this weekend Toby Okani was incredibly valuable. Very efficient and he's really trying to adjust his game to fit what this team needs and he's done an unbelievable job of doing that. He is making threes, screening for other guys and defensively he can guard one through five.
--Toby Okani can shoot it and he's shooting it at a high rate right now. Defend, rebound and those type of things. The offensive piece is another great addition to it.
--DeVries said there were some things x's and o's wise they needed to fix a little bit. Toby Okani has done a better job moving around and getting other people open. Shot selection, their movement and other shots. Turnovers but defensive rebounding and taking care of the basketball if they're good in those areas they can win.
