West Virginia
West Virginia guard Small focused on what matters
Senior guard Javon Small has been so consistently good this season that it’s almost easy to not fully appreciate what he’s doing on the floor.
Small has made the special, ordinary this season in his first year with the Mountaineers, and the latest example of that came in the win over No. 2 Iowa State. Small finished with 27 points on 9-16 from the field with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals to help engineer the upset.
And that’s against an Iowa State team that features a tough challenge with their perimeter defense.
“He’s been just incredible all year. I think he’s the best guard in the country right now. For what we’re asking him to do and the way he put the team on his back there late,” he said.
Small is the primary focus of every opponent that West Virginia has gone against since Tucker DeVries went down with an upper-body injury eight games into the season and he continues to deliver. He continues to play a ton of minutes in the process and has still been able to make plays despite all of the attention that he has received from the opposition.
Against Iowa State, Small took over down the stretch scoring 12 of the final 13 points and doing it in a variety of ways by either hitting a key three-pointer or getting to the rim or the foul line.
Speaking to his mindset, Small wasn’t even aware that he reeled off that feat.
“Since day one I’ve always tried to do what I can for my team to win and if it takes me to score 12 of the last 13 points that’s what I’m going to do,” Small said.
That wasn’t a directive from the coaching staff, Small just got into a zone and took the game over. It’s something DeVries has seen Small do in practice and when he gets there it’s tough to stop him.
“He’s certainly special and I hope people certainly enjoy the time they get to watch him here,” he said.
But the most impressive thing about Small is the fact that the only thing that matters to him is getting the win. Even though he’s stuffing the stat sheet, he doesn’t care about anything but how he can help his team accomplish the goal of winning basketball games.
“All I’m thinking about is just winning,” he said.
With his numbers, Small has positioned himself in the race for Big 12 Player of the Year considering that he’s averaging 19.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and playing over 36 minutes per game. But he’s focused on what matters the most to him and his teammates.
“What I love about him is he doesn’t care about winning that award. He wants to win and that’s all he talks about. That’s all he talks about with his teammates is being better in areas we need to win. He’s never come into a timeout asking for the ball not one time,” DeVries said.
And if he continues to play like this, Small could not only continue to lead his team to wins but might just receive some recognition for his efforts as well.
“I don’t ever think about it. The only thing I’m worried about is winning at the end of the day. You can only win Big 12 Player of the Year if you win,” Small said.
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West Virginia
Charleston commemorates Juneteenth with downtown parade and celebration – WV MetroNews
CHARLESTON, W.Va – Charleston is celebrating Juneteenth with its annual parade, followed by a celebration in Slack Plaza featuring live entertainment, food, educational exhibits, and more.
The parade stepped off from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center at 11:30 on Friday with a long line of organizations participating and several community members recognized as “Mr. and Miss Juneteenth.” Smiles dotted the procession as organizers watched a community come together.
“It’s just a wonderful thing when we can bring the community together to celebrate freedom, and here in West Virginia, we’ve had some challenges because they’ve said that Juneteenth is not a state holiday, but our people are still celebrating,” parade chairperson Karen Williams said.
The parade marked the start of an entire day recognizing the history of Juneteenth, the emancipation of more than 250,000 enslaved Black people when the Union Army arrived at Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. With the last stronghold of slavery in the Confederate States eradicated that day, June 19 came to be celebrated as a second independence day, and President Joe Biden established it as a national holiday in 2021.
In West Virginia, former Gov. Jim Justice was the first to declare a state holiday and did so in each of his last four years in office. Gov. Patrick Morrisey recognized Juneteenth with a proclamation on Friday but has not declared a state holiday in 2025 or 2026.
“Representation really matters, so seeing Black queens and Black kings roaming the streets of Charleston is a beautiful thing, and it’s a needed thing. I think there’s a lot more people that aren’t going to celebrate Juneteenth than people that are, so I think it’s really important that we continue to celebrate this holiday and show why it’s important,” Miss Juneteenth Adult Keyarna Frederick said.
Different groups from around the Kanawha Valley came out to participate from businesses and youth organizations to political committees and arts collectives. Williams believes that shows that Juneteenth is a day for the entire community to celebrate.
“Appalachian people have always grown up and lived together, and what we want—we want people to continue that. We want people to continue to be together. We’re not saying this is a Black event or a white event. We welcome all people to come and participate,” she said.
The parade route echoed her sentiment as nearly everyone who joined the parade shared handshakes, high-fives, and hugs. That spirit of togetherness spoke to the day’s honorees as well.
“It’s definitely something that we should all be celebrating. It’s for all of us, not just for a certain color or a certain kind. It’s for all of us, so I believe everyone should be celebrating this day,” Mr. Juneteenth Adult Edward Frederick said.
“This is my first time in the parade. It’s so beautiful. It’s so amazing to see different organizations a part of the parade, seeing how much muscle has went into even doing something like this, so I think it’s a beautiful thing for Charleston,” Keyarna Frederick added.
From the parade to the activities in Slack Plaza, the day’s organizers sought to create an environment to celebrate Juneteenth with a spirit of unity. Williams hopes that anyone that joined or watched felt that along the way.
“I want them to see that we are Almost Heaven, West Virginia; that we are celebrating freedom; and that we are a community that embraces one another,” she said.
BOONE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – We have a traffic alert for drivers in the Danville area of Boone County.
Starting on Friday, they should expect delays as crew perform work on the Jill Micah Hess Bridge along U.S. 119.
According to the West Virginia Department of Transportation, northbound traffic will be shifted from the slow lane to the fast lane.
This will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and drivers are asked to expect delays.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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