West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries is currently in the midst of a roster rebuild.
This wasn't necessarily an unexpected challenge, as it was expected that there would be turnover once a new coach was hired.
This isn't an alien concept with coaching changes in this new era of college basketball, so it would be naive to believe it won't happen here. It's also not something that would be out of his comfort zone, as DeVries has shown the ability to rebuild rosters in the past during his time with Drake.
The Mountaineers had only one scholarship student remaining on last season's roster, sophomore forward Ofri Nabe. The Israeli native averaged 2.6 points and 2.5 rebounds in just 13.8 minutes per game, and showed occasional flashes of brilliance when given a bigger role early in the season.
That includes point guard Kerr Kriisa, guard Kobe Johnson, guard Noah Farrakhan, guard Seth Wilson, forward Patrick Semnick, forward Josiah Harris, and guard Jeremiah Bembry. of West Virginia players left through the transfer portal this offseason, meaning all have indicated their intentions. is known.
As such, DeVries still has four scholarships remaining that could be filled even after offseason additions by the program that added eight new players to the roster, including significant additions in recent days. There is sex.
Drake forward Tucker DeVries, Oklahoma State point guard Javon Small, University of Illinois at Chicago wing Toby Okani, Illinois forward Amani Hansberry, Illinois guard Sensia Harris, Fresno Eduardo Andre from State University, KJ Tenner from Memphis High School, and Ohio High School product. Jonathan Powell.
Last season, DeVries averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 44 percent and 36 percent from three. Drake made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances throughout his career and was named Missouri Valley Player of the Year each season. He has one year left.
Small spent one season with Stillwater, averaging 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while shooting 44 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range, making him one of the best point guards available in the transfer portal. . It earned him All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors and quickly became a key figure in his final remaining years in Morgantown after two years at East Carolina.
Okani averaged 11.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for the Flames, shooting 39 percent from the field and 32 percent from 3-point range. The long wing also made a big impact defensively, averaging 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals, earning MVC Defensive Team honors in the process, and has one year remaining.
Harris redshirted last season, but played in all 33 games in his first year at the University of Illinois, starting seven of them, and averaged 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. . He is a former top-100 player with three years of eligibility remaining and is an outstanding defender.
Hansberry spent just one season with the Illini, appearing in 19 games and averaging 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds while playing just seven minutes per game. He has a strong pedigree considering he shot 45 percent from the field and was a consensus four-star prospect coming out of high school. He also has three years left.
At 6-foot-11 and 248 pounds, Andre is a big interior player who averaged 7.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game last season, although his season was cut short due to injury. He started his career two years at Nebraska, but his numbers grew during his time with the Bulldogs. He has one year left.
At 6 feet tall and 165 pounds, Tenner is undersized for a high-major guard, but he is a proven scorer. Tenner is coming off a season in which he averaged 21.2 points, 4.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game en route to winning the Tennessee Division 4A Mr. Basketball title. He originally signed with Drake, but he committed to the Mountaineers when given the opportunity to follow DeVries.
Powell, who is 6-foot-6 and weighs 180 pounds, requested release from the letter of intent he originally signed with Xavier in November, which West Virginia quickly joined. That led to an official visit to Morgantown, a commitment he made at the end of his trip. The first-team All-Ohio selection averaged 19.1 points per game last season, making him the second-leading scorer in the Greater Western Ohio Conference. He is a talented off-guard who can not only shoot the basketball, but also put it on the floor and get to the basket.
But even with these additions, DeVries still has work to finish for next season. The focus will continue to be on a few spots, including a scorer, another big, and other additions. Considering the difficulty of the Big 12, the Mountaineers have been undergoing a near-complete rebuild since a year ago, so finding the right guys to fit in with what's already on the roster will be important. Masu.
So far it's a solid foundation, but we'll be working on the last bits to move our focus forward and bring this together and add some much-needed additional depth.