The West Virginia Mountaineers basketball program will welcome a number of talented transfers into the fold and WVSports.com looks at each of those.
What are the opportunities for each this coming season and how do they fit into the picture with the basketball program?
We examine each.
2023-24 statistics: 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists
DeVries was one of the premier transfer options available this off-season after back-to-back Player of the Year honors in the Missouri Valley Conference. DeVries was in the top 35 of the country in usage and delivered, shooting 50 percent from two, 36.2 percent from three and 82.2 percent from the foul line. Those are strong numbers and his offensive rating of 109.9, which is a measure of offensive efficiency, indicates that.
He will unquestionably be one of the primary options for West Virginia this coming season and will be a major factor on the offensive end. Expect him at the four and while it will be a step up in competition, DeVries is more than ready for it. DeVries will be a starter and a critical part of any success the Mountaineers will have in year one.
2023-24 statistics: 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 44-percent from the field and 37-percent from three
Small is a proven point guard that has already experienced success in the Big 12 Conference. He possesses great size and is an effective and efficient scorer at all three levels. The talented guard can score off the bounce in the mid-range but excels shooting off the catch. He is difficult to guard and understands how to take good shots which is critical to his overall shooting percentages.
Small is a strong passer and is effective in pick and roll situations either scoring or distributing the basketball. He is a guard that is going to immediately upgrade the West Virginia backcourt as a point guard that can not only get his teammates involved but can be a major scoring option as well. He also could potentially play the two as well depending on the lineup giving the Mountaineers even more options by taking him off the ball to maximize what is on the floor at any given time.
For as much as DeVries is a critical piece, Small is every bit the same. Make no mistake about it the success Small has will dictate the success of this team.
2023-24 statistics: 11.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals
Okani is a strong presence on the defensive end and at 6-foot-8 has the length and athleticism that makes him an intriguing fit. But he has continued to improve his jump shot to go along displaying the ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim and finish. He is most comfortable in that area right now with 52-percent of his field goals coming at the rim and he is effective off ball screens.
Okani has continued to develop his overall offensive profile although he still needs to improve in some areas such as shooting off the bounce. Given his size, Okani is a plus passer with a 12-percent assist rate and gives the Mountaineers a valuable piece that can fit into the program as a seasoned option that plays with energy and effort on both ends. His presence is going to allow West Virginia to play DeVries at the four and he will provide a veteran that has a track record of success.
2023-24 statistics: 20.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 42-percent from the floor and 31-percent from three.
West Virginia needed somebody on the roster that can score the ball and Stone definitely fits that mold. He can create off the dribble and is a natural scorer that can put the ball in the basket. The graduate transfer has good size and also can effectively shoot the basketball across to space the floor.
While that total was only at 31-percent from three this past year, Stone shot 52-percent in 13 games the season before with the Titans when he was used more in a secondary role which is what he will be asked to do in Morgantown. Still, he is a scoring option that not only can generate his own points off the bounce but can play off the tandem of point guard Javon Small and wing Tucker DeVries in order to hit shots and help provide even more space for those two to operate on the court.
Stone also is an effective rebounder which makes him a strong fit for what head coach Darian DeVries wants to do especially on the defensive end of the floor to get out in transition. He will settle in as a two but could move around.
2023-24 statistics: 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 60-percent from the floor
This is an experienced option at the college level with four years under his belt and perhaps most importantly he has made improvement in each of those seasons. Andre possesses excellent size at the position and is active when it comes to rebounding on both ends of the floor as well as blocking shots.
Andre is a traditional big in the sense that he scores near the rim and has a nice mix of post moves on top of some plus athleticism to get there and finish. He isn’t going to be a primary scoring option, but can score the ball at the rim.
Over the past two years, Andre has shot 59.3-percent from the field and the left-hander gets solid positioning using his strength to finish.
Andre also is going to be effective as a screener and his ability to rebound the ball on the defensive end is a fit for what DeVries wants in order to prevent second chance opportunities. The big has played at least 21-minutes per game in each of the past two years at Fresno, but now is going to have to prove how he can hold up in the Big 12 Conference against more difficult competition.
2023-24 statistics: 6.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.8 assists and shot 35-percent from three
Yesufu is an experienced guard that has already played well in DeVries system when he was at Drake. The pairing is one that makes a lot of sense as he should be able to step in without any sort of adjustment and can provide help at the point guard spot next to what the program already has in the fold in Oklahoma State transfer Javon Small. The Mountaineers needed to find more help there and now have a pair of experienced options to go along with true freshman KJ Tenner at the one.
Yesufu played primarily point during his time with Drake but also has spent time at the two at Kansas, so he has the ability to move around if need be to get the best grouping on the floor. Yesufu is explosive with the ball and has been a solid spot up shooter throughout his career. He has hit 40-percent of his shots and 32-percent from three point-range during his time playing college basketball. The experienced guard also is very effective finishing in transition, which is a strong match for West Virginia.
Yesufu makes good decisions in ball screen situations and has displayed the ability to finish with plus athleticism for his size. He has played in a total of 119 games over the course of his career but started only 16 of those with 7 coming during his sophomore season at Drake and six last year at Washington State.
West Virginia needed to get a mature option in the backcourt and Yesufu is a strong match given the fact that he is a solid on-the-ball-defender and already understands the expectations set by DeVries. It doesn’t hurt matters that he played the best basketball of his career while with the Bulldogs.
2023-24 statistics: 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while shooting 45-percent from the floor.
Hansberry is a solidly built front court option and while his game isn’t necessarily above the rim, he is a crafty and skilled forward. He has plus mobility and vision which makes him a skilled passer, a good fit for what West Virginia wants out of their big men in Darian DeVries scheme.
While he saw limited action at Illinois given older, more experienced options in front of him, Hansberry did play hard when he was on the floor and was well-thought of in the program. He can rebound the ball and has the ability to finish with both hands at the rim. At West Virginia there will be more opportunities for him and while he is more in the build of a traditional four, he is likely to see minutes at the five, too.
2023-24 statistics: 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. He also shot 43-percent from the floor and 32-percent from three.
Known as defensive stopper, Harris fits the mold of what new head coach Darian DeVries wants given his plus size at 6-foot-4 and length. There were obvious ties given his connections to Chester Frazier as well, which will help with the transition to Morgantown as he begins the next chapter of his career.
Harris was able to see action in every game as a true freshman and even made seven starts but the biggest holdup for him was simply the need to fill out his frame and get stronger. That played a major role in his decision to redshirt this past season and now should be in a better position to handle that department.
During his time away from the floor, Harris bought into his improvement during the redshirt and his defense and toughness alone is going to help him find a role. The offensive side of his game needed to continue to improve along with his strength and that is something that was a focus as well. He will serve as a two guard.
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Wisconsin has added a transfer portal commitment from former West Virginia defensive lineman Hammond Russell.
Russell played in 36 games for the Mountaineers during his career. As a senior, the 6-foot-3, 315-pound lineman posted 13.0 tackles and 2.0 sacks. For his career, Hammond has 40.0 tackles and 5.5 sacks. Russell is expected to get a redshirt for his 2022 season, in which he missed the entirety of due to a broken foot and a concussion.
A three-star recruit coming out of Dublin, Ohio, Russell chose WVU over Indiana, Iowa State, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Illinois, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Purdue, and more.
During his transfer portal recruitment, Russell also visited Kansas.
Russell joins a Wisconsin defensive line that’s set to return junior Charles Perkins and sophomore Dillan Johnson, among others. The Badgers also signed Junior Poyser out of Buffalo this week.
Russell is currently unranked as a transfer prospect, according to On3. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The third quarter of Wednesday’s contest against 17th-ranked Texas Tech was among West Virginia’s best this season from an offensive standpoint.
What followed in the fourth, however, was perhaps the worst 10-minute stretch on that end through 16 contests. The Mountaineers missed numerous decent looks and shot 3 for 19 from the field and 6 for 12 on free throws in the final frame, while squandering a six-point advantage with inside 8 minutes remaining and falling to the unbeaten Red Raiders, 71-66.
“We took one bad shot that I didn’t like at all and had a bad turnover late, but we got 19 shots off in the fourth quarter and most were pretty good looks,” WVU head coach Mark Kellogg said. “We just didn’t convert. The defensive end concerns me as much as the offensive end. Giving up 40 points in the second half is way too many.”
Of WVU’s three fourth-quarter buckets, only one within the first 9:34 — a layup from Kierra ‘MeMe’ Wheeler with 7:10 remaining that left the home team with a 58-53 lead and came directly after Texas Tech’s Bailey Maupin had made a three-pointer.
Despite the offensive struggles, WVU dug in enough defensively to maintain a 61-57 advantage with inside 2 minutes remaining before the game turned in the visitors’ favor over a 7-second stretch.
Snudda Collins scored on a drive to the basket, while being fouled by Carter McCray in the process. With 1:59 left, Collins stepped to the free-throw line but was unable to convert the three-point play. Tech’s Jalynn Bristow came up with a pivotal offensive rebound, and found Maupin on the perimeter, who drained her fourth and final triple to give the Red Raiders (17-0, 4-0) a 62-61 lead at the 1:52 mark.
“They’re really good in the third quarter and I would venture to say we’re really good in the fourth quarter from previous games,” Red Raiders’ head coach Krista Gerlich said. “I’m not real sure fatigue played a factor in it as much as our kids just kind of locked down, really tried to defend and we got better on the glass. They missed a lot of easy shots early in the fourth quarter and that maybe played toward fatigue, but our kids did a good job on the glass and limiting second-chance opportunities, and we quit fouling a bit.”
Jordan Harrison missed a pair of threes on WVU’s ensuing trip, before Maupin made two free throws for a three-point advantage with 38 seconds left.
“What a basketball game. We knew coming in this was going to be a huge challenge and I’m super proud of our kids for being resilient for four quarters,” Gerlich said.
Harrison scored from close range 13 seconds later, but the Red Raiders continued to excel from the free-throw line and Collins made a pair for a 66-63 lead with 20 seconds to play.
Maupin then stole a Gia Cooke pass and made 1-of-2 free throws to make it a two-possession game, before another Mountaineer turnover all but ended any hope of late heroics for the home team.
“We made a lot of mistakes. They sped us up a little bit, but the mistakes we made were on us,” Harrison said. “When we go back and watch the film, we’ll see there was an easier way to score — slow down and read the defense.”
The third period was a far different story as WVU (13-3, 3-1) overcame a 31-28 halftime deficit by making 10-of-13 shots in what amounted to a 25-point frame. Harrison was the catalyst for the success, scoring 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting and dishing out three assists, while McCray continued to be a presence inside and scored seven points on 3-for-3 shooting.
But Texas Tech managed 19 points in the third to stay well within striking distance, with the Red Raiders making half of their six three-point attempts in that quarter, including both from Denae Fritz.
“You’re up six in the fourth, you’re supposed to find a way to win that game,” Kellogg said.
The entirety of the game was played within six points, with Tech’s largest lead coming at 29-23 after a Collins triple.
McCray and Harrison combined for the next five points, before Maupin capped the first-half scoring with a pair of free throws. She scored 11 of her game-high 27 points through two quarters and 13 more in the fourth.
“No basketball game is all ups and no basketball game is all downs,” Maupin said. “It’s finding a balance between your highs and lows and managing that to be able to come out with a win.”
Collins scored 19 points to help her team finish with a 25-2 advantage in bench points.
Tech finished with a 37-33 rebounding edge, and despite having 16 offensive boards to WVU’s 18, the Red Raiders accounted for 20 of the game’s 28 second-chance points.
“We got a lot of offensive rebounds and didn’t convert very many of them,” Kellogg said.
Harrison led four WVU double-figure scorers with 22 points and added five rebounds and five assists.
McCray added 15 points and Wheeler scored 11 to go with a team-best nine boards. Sydney Shaw scored 10 but shot 4 for 14, while Cooke was held to six points on 2-for-9 shooting.
The Mountaineers forced 20 turnovers, but managed only four steals.
“We had too many things go wrong that we had control of,” McCray said, “and that led to our detriment in the end.”
BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. (WCHS) — State regulators are reviewing whether a Cabell County septic system is failing or distressed.
The Public Service Commission heard public comment and testimony on Wednesday on the Linmont septic system in Cabell County.
The Linmont subdivision is located just outside the city limits of Barboursville and has about 85 residents.
Linmont said it cannot afford the required DEP treatment upgrades estimated at more than $300,000.
The manager of the septic system is wanting someone else to take over the system. Kenneth Toler testified that he can’t secure a loan to get the necessary work done.
Toler said if rates were raised to an amount to pay for the work many of the residents wouldn’t be able to pay it.
Ten witnesses were expected to testify during the hearing. Barboursville Mayor Chris Tatum also testified objecting to the possibility that Barboursville could be forced to take over the system.
“Why should our residents be punished with rate increases because another entity has not done their due diligence to take care of their system,” Tatum said.
The administrative law judge said a decision would not be made Wednesday.
A DECISION WOULD NOT BE MADE TODAY
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