Jarrod West Sr. Praises Defense, Fans After Best Virginia Win

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Best Virginia is moving on to the quarterfinals in the TBT after a 79-68 win over Elite Nation Tuesday.

Best Virginia went down by double-digits multiple times, but managed to come back in the second half. Head Coach Jarrod West Sr. emphasized the team’s defensive performance in the postgame press conference.

“Once we got a few stops, we were able to get in transition and we were able to kind of turn it around,” West said. “But our defense… our defense was great.”

When it came to adjustments, West emphasized keeping things simple, especially when having experienced players on the roster.

“I didn’t have to say much. Keep defending, keep rebounding, play in transitions as much as possible, West said. “A lot of times it’s funny, I’ve learned when you’re playing with good players, sometimes you got dummy down, let them play.”

Best Virginia’s success helped them earn another game in the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center at 6 p.m. Monday. Hundreds of Best Virginia fans have been in attendance for each game so far.

ROUND OF 16: Watch the Game Highlights from Best Virginia vs. Elite Nation, 07/22/2025 pic.twitter.com/7aQVqEbkxh

— TBT (@thetournament) July 23, 2025

Elite Nation finished the night 14-29 from three-point range and a staggering 10-17 at halftime. West commended Best Virginia’s defense along with the impact of the fans.

“When you’re dealing with pros, you can have a game of runs and they’re hitting tough shots. You’re banking on them not being able to make those shots all night. You’re banking on our defense getting the three or four (stops), a couple kills, which is three stops, which we kind of got in the second half and got to get a crowd a little credit,” West said. “Once we got going, the crowd kind of helped us. Got a few deflections and yeah, once we got the lead, I thought we did an excellent job of executing.”

West, a WVU alum, reminisced on playing in front of the home crowd and shared what he told WVU Head Coach Ross Hodge about competing in Morgantown.

“I told Coach Hodge, you put out a good product, they’ll come and support you and they’ll be there with you,” West said. “So it’s glad for these guys to experience what I’ve experienced. It’s nothing like these people.”

Best Virginia will play against Shell Shock, the Maryland alumni team at 6 p.m. Monday at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.

Find more coverage of Best Virginia at WV Sports Now.

For a related story, Best Virginia received tons of love for winning the West Virginia Regional.