West Virginia

West Virginia again shows grit, toughness in Kansas win

Published

12 months ago

January 1, 2025

West Virginia again shows grit, toughness in Kansas win

West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries has been consistent since he took over in Morgantown. He wants his teams to be defined by their toughness and gritty effort.

Hard to deny that hasn’t been the case through the non-conference portion of the schedule, but the opening to Big 12 Conference play might have been the best example to date.

The Mountaineers not only beat No. 7 Kansas on the road for their first win after 11 previous defeats inside Allen Fieldhouse, but they never trailed in doing so. In fact, the game was only tied once in the final seconds.

That type of win would be impressive under any circumstances, but when you factor in that West Virginia was without three key players including two starters in forward Tucker DeVries and sophomore Amani Hansberry it’s a marque type of victory for the Mountaineers.

Especially when you factor in the travel issues that the team dealt with in flying to Lawrence. But you didn’t hear any complaints from DeVries and it’s a message that has resonated with his team by evidence of their play on the floor.

“Incredibly proud of the guys’ effort, especially with the circumstances, the injuries, the travel. There are no excuses in this program. We’re going to line up, we’re going to compete,” DeVries said.

Javon Small played all 40 minutes and scored the final 7 points including the game-winning free throw, while the Mountaineers got other contributions up and down the roster in the win. It was a total team effort.

West Virginia moved to 10-2 on the season and 1-0 in Big 12 Conference play with the 62-61 win over the Jayhawks, another signature mark in the first year of DeVries tenure atop the program. It follows in the footsteps of an impressive three-overtime-games in three-days in the Battle 4 Atlantis where the Mountaineers knocked off No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 24 Arizona in the process.

But that isn’t something that DeVries spent any time focusing on when asked about what the early season success meant in terms of potential tournament seeding down the line.

“None of that means anything if you don’t line up in conference play and put yourself in position from a conference standpoint and conference wins and quality wins,” DeVries said when asked about the non-conference success. “You’ve got to continue to stack those up.”

The focus has and will continue to be on improving from game-to-game regardless of who is available to suit up or what other factors are happening around the basketball program. West Virginia is focused on controlling what they can control and so far are doing a pretty impressive job at that.

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West Virginia

More than 30,000 without power in West Virginia after strong winds overnight

Published

6 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

More than 30,000 without power in West Virginia after strong winds overnight

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — A large portion of the Mountain State saw storms with gusty winds last night, which has resulted in several trees coming down across roads, thousands of power outages and schools being delayed and closed.

As of Friday morning, the WV 511 website displays multiple warnings of fallen trees and debris in roadways, including several in north-central West Virginia. Both Harrison and Marion County 911 logs show crews responding to several reports of trees down.

WV 511

The First Energy website also shows that a total of 36,688 of its customers are currently without power, with many still waiting for an estimated restoration time.

Due to these power outages, multiple schools throughout West Virginia have been delayed or closed for the day, including those in Barbour, Gilmer, Lewis, Marion, Ritchie, Taylor, and Upshur counties.

Regular trees weren’t the only ones forced down due to the winds. Christmas decorations, including the Bridgeport Christmas tree, were knocked over as well.

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West Virginia

Man dies in southern W.Va. mining incident

Published

18 hours ago

December 18, 2025

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Man dies in southern W.Va. mining incident

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – A miner died Thursday after an incident at a coal mine in Wyoming County, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said.

The governor said it happened at the Lower War Eagle mine.

Morrisey released the following statement on Thursday evening:

“Denise and I were deeply saddened by the tragic loss of a coal miner today at the Lower War Eagle mine in Wyoming County. Our hearts go out to his family, loved ones, and coworkers during this sorrowful time.

“The West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety, and Training responded immediately and is conducting a full investigation.

“Each day, West Virginia miners perform difficult and demanding tasks. They do this to provide for their families, to build the communities, and to forge a better future for the next generation of West Virginians. It is that work, their strength, and their dedication that defines our state and our nation.

“I ask that all West Virginians lift this miner’s family, friends, and community up in your prayers and keep them in your thoughts through the difficult days ahead.”

The victim’s name has not been released.

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West Virginia

Biggest Surprises and Disappointments from West Virginia’s 2025 Portal Class

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2025

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The transfer portal officially opens here in a couple of weeks, so before the madness begins, we’re going to take a look back at last year’s West Virginia portal class, highlighting some of the biggest surprises and disappointments.

Biggest surprises

West Virginia University offensive lineman Donovan Haslam | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

For this group, we’re keeping it all positive. These are players who rose above expectations and turned out to be pretty solid players.

OL Donovan Haslam (Austin Peay) – He’s far from a finished product, but he helped West Virginia get through some of its issues toward the end of the season when he replaced Walter Young Bear in the starting lineup. WVU will bring in competition for him, but he’s at least a capable option, just needs more development. That play he had dragging Diore Hubbard for a first down may have been a penalty, but it may have been the most determination we saw from a lineman all year.

BAN Devin Grant (Incarnate Word) – The stats may not show his impact, and sometimes that happens with a role player. His playmaking was very timely. Every time the Mountaineers desperately needed a sack, tackle for loss, or turnover, Grant delivered. He’s someone the staff would love to have for another year.

LB Ben Bogle (Southern Illinois) – Although he didn’t start, Bogle was the Mountaineers’ best run defender in the second level, and it really wasn’t close. As a matter of fact, he graded out as the best run stopper on the entire team. He’ll be in contention to start at the MIKE spot in 2026.

Biggest disappointments

West Virginia University Bandit Jimmori Robinson | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

Before I get started here, I’m not including offensive linemen Walter Young Bear and Kimo Makane’ole, simply because they did not come to WVU with big expectations. Yes, they played poorly, but this category is for players who didn’t live up to expectations, in one way or another.

RB Tye Edwards (Northern Iowa) – Obviously, this isn’t a performance-based performance as Edwards injured his hip in the Backyard Brawl and was eventually lost for the season. Not having his physicality really hurt WVU’s offense and its ability to run the football. Had he been healthy, perhaps they could have won another game or two.

RB Jaylan Knighton (SMU) – Who? Yeah, Jaylan Knighton, the guy who never played a down for the Mountaineers. The SMU transfer was expected to be the No. 2 to Jahiem White, which would have formed a pretty strong duo, albeit behind a bad offensive line. He had some academic issues that led to his dismissal in fall camp.

BAN Jimmori Robinson (UTSA) – Without question, the biggest disappointment of all. Robinson was expected to be an elite pass rusher for WVU and an all-league caliber player. I wouldn’t throw all of the blame at his feet, though. Some of it can be attributed to the late start with the NCAA, taking forever with his eligibility, which ended up going to court. Some of it could be the fit in the defense as well. Regardless, Robinson fell well short of expectations, finishing with just 0.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss one year after recording 17 TFLs and 10.5 sacks at UTSA.