Darian DeVries: Senior Leadership the Key to WVU’s Win Over Gonzaga

WVU basketball guard Javon Small might’ve played the game of his life as the Mountaineers knocked off No. 3 Gonzaga in the Bahamas on Wednesday, but the senior didn’t want to take all the credit for the win.

“The win is more important,” Small said after the game. “I know I played pretty well. I did what the team needed me to do. All around, I thought I had a pretty good game, but like I said, the win is more important.”

First-year WVU coach Darian DeVries jumped in to make sure his point guard got the credit he deserved.

“I’ll go ahead and say he played good,” DeVries said.

Small, an Oklahoma State transfer, led all scorers with 31 points, shooting 50% from the field and sinking four three-pointers. He also pulled down seven rebounds.

Fellow senior Tucker DeVries was the Mountaineers’ other star, contributing 16 points with six rebounds, four assists and four blocks.

They each had huge moments down the stretch as well. Small scored seven points in a 12-0 WVU run that gave the Mountaineers their first lead in the second half. DeVries scored five points in the final 25 seconds of regulation to send the game into overtime. He also caused the turnover that led to his game-tying free throws with six seconds to play.

“I thought they were terrific leading up to the game in their preparation,” Coach DeVries said. “That’s what you need from guys like that who have played a lot of basketball.”

Despite the pair’s contributions statistically, DeVries said their impact on the win went way deeper than just the box score.

“It’s not just about the numbers,” DeVries said. “The stats are stats, but it’s more about what Javon and Tucker brought from a leadership standpoint. I thought they were just terrific the entire night.”

The Mountaineers faced difficult situations in each half, but DeVries said leadership from his seniors helped the team through.

WVU responded to a 10-0 Gonzaga run in the first half with a 7-1 run of its own. Then in the second half, the Mountaineers put together a 17-1 run right after Gonzaga pulled ahead by 10 points.

“It was a different mindset in the huddle, there was no panic,” DeVries said. “I thought they were very composed and we had terrific senior leadership from our guys in the huddle. Very poised, confident and matter-of-fact in what we needed to do to be successful and come out on top.”

Small and DeVries combined for 47 of the team’s 86 points, six of the team’s 12 assists and five of the team’s eight blocks. The pair also each played 42 minutes along with sophomore Sencire Harris.

For a related story, WVU basketball fans were energized by the team’s win over Gonzaga.