One of the best individual seasons a player has ever had at West Virginia took place this season as Javon Small kept the Mountaineers in position to make the NCAA Tournament despite a shorthanded roster. Unfortunately, they were snubbed from the dance, but what Small was able to do in just his one year in Morgantown is something WVU fans will remember forever.

In 32 games this season, Small averaged 18.6 points, 5.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 41% from the field and 35% from three-point land. Opposing teams had their full attention on him every single night, yet weren’t able to keep him in check.

Sunday afternoon, he announced on Instagram that he would be declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft.

“First off, I want to thank God for everything he has done in my life and for his continual blessings. I would also like to thank my gamily for being with me every step of the way. Your support, guidance, and love have meant the world to me, and you’ve always pushed me to be my best. To my friends, teammates, coaches, and everyone else who has been part of my journey, I appreciate you more than you know and none of this would be possible without y’all. I was blessed to have the opportunity to play at Eastern Carolina University, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia and that’s something I’ll cherish forever. We all have dreams and I am ready to pursue mine. Therefore, I will be declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft.”

Small did not have any eligibility remaining, so really his message is to announce that he’ll be submitting his paperwork for the draft.

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Provo, UT – In a wild afternoon at Miller Park, the West Virginia Mountaineers (22-4, 4-3) popped out to a seven-run lead but had to rally from an eight-run deficit to take the series deciding game three from the BYU Cougars (14-11, 4-5) Saturday afternoon 19-16.

West Virginia senior Jace Rinehart was 3-6 at the plate with a home run and six RBI and sophomore Armani Guzman was 2-5 with a home run and four RBI.

West Virginia jumped out to an early 7-0 lead.

Senior Grant Hussey hit a one-out double and redshirt junior Chase Swain followed with a single to and sophomore Armani Guzman put the Mountaineers on the board with three-run home run in the top of the second inning.

In the third, Logan Suave blasted a leadoff home run. Senior Kyle West dropped a double in left-centerfield. Then, freshman Gavin Kelley and Hussey hit consecutive RBI doubles before Guzman came back around with a line drive RBI single to right field for the seven-run advantage.

BYU responded with a five run third inning, starting with an RBI triple from redshirt sophomore Keoni Painer. A slow roller to short by junior Luke Anderson was good for an RBI single. Then, with two outs on the board, junior Bryker Hurdsman and senior Brock Watkins delivered RBI doubles and sophomore Ryder Robinson singled to right field for an RBI to cut the WVU lead to two, 7-5.

After West Virginia starting pitcher Carson Estridge allowed the five-run third, head coach Steve Sabins opted to send him back out in the fourth and the junior walked the first two Cougar hitters before he exited the game as two Mountaineer relievers would come into the game and BYU posted a ten-run fourth inning on just four hits. In total, the WVU arms gave up three walks, two hit batsmen, and three hits.

The Cougars took advantage of the Mountaineers’ mistakes. Anderson recorded a two-RBI double and an RBI single, Hurdsman registered an RBI single, and junior Easton Jones hit a two-RBI single up the middle to take a 15-7 lead.

West Virginia answered with a six-run fifth inning. Hussey smacked his third double of the afternoon, then with two on and one-out, Spencer Barnett lined a single back up the middle to score the first run. Sauve worked a walk with the bases loaded before West slapped drove a double to right-centerfield and Jace Rinehart followed line a two-RBI single to left to cut the deficit to two, 15-13.

The Mountaineers reclaimed the lead in the seventh when senior Jace Rinehart delivered an opposite field three-run home run for the 16-15 advantage.

West Virginia added three insurance runs in the eight. Swain led the inning with a single, Barnett line a one-out RBI single to centerfield, and with two outs on the board West and Rinehart produce RBI singles for the 19-15 lead.

West Virginia freshman Mac Stiffler took the mound in the fifth and cooled the BYU bats, holding the Cougars to one hit in two innings.

Then, senior Jack Kartsonas entered in the seventh and faced the minimum with two strikeouts but found himself in a bit of trouble in the eighth after giving up a hit and a walk. However, the senior hunkered down with a strikeout and got Anderson to hit into an inning double play on the 0-2 pitch.

Kartsonas left two on and an out on the board before sophomore reliever Chase Meyer shut down any opportunity for the Cougars as the Mountaineers held on for the 19-6 decision.

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In a public event on Friday, Kennedy emphasised on West Virginia’s leadership in the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign. Kennedy made a number of fat jokes about Morrisey during his address, even implying that the governor should take part in monthly public weigh-ins.

“I said to Governor Morrisey the first time I saw him, I said, ‘You look like you ate Governor Morrisey,”” Kennedy stated, prompting laughter from the crowd.

He went on to quip that he would be Morrisey’s “personal trainer” and even offered to put him on a “really rigorous regimen” that includes a carnivorous diet.

Kennedy then asked the audience if Morrisey should make a commitment to weigh in publicly every month. He also mentioned that if the governor lost thirty pounds, he would come back to West Virginia to join him in celebrating and weighing in.

Despite the criticism, Morrisey responded with humour, saying that Kennedy’s plan was “a little more than I bargained for.”

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Social media reacts to RFK Jr’s remarks

RFK Jr’s remarks went viral on social media, with netizens giving mixed response over jab at Morrissey’s weight.

“Public shaming is just bullying. RFK Jr. isn’t wrong about Morrissey — it just should have been voiced privately,” one X user wrote.

“Nope, telling the world publicly, one obese person at a time, that being obese is unhealthy is the only way the obesity will become an undesirable state again,” another commented.

“Bullying works. Embarrassment and humiliation is a very powerful teacher,” a third user said.

“It’s not public shaming. It’s called leaders being asked to lead by example,” one more chimed in.

West Virginia has highest obesity rate in US

Apart from fat-shaming, the event highlighted new health efforts in West Virginia, such as limiting the use of SNAP to buy soda, increasing job requirements for SNAP benefits, and outlawing specific food dyes in school lunches.

West Virginia currently has the second-lowest life expectancy and the highest obesity rate in the nation.