WVU Basketball Wants to be Fluid on Offense as the Team Learns to Play Together

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — First-year WVU basketball head coach Darian DeVries isn’t quite sure what the Mountaineers’ offense is going to look like this season.

Part of that is due to circumstance — trying to fit 10 transfers who have never played together into the same system — and part of it is by design. DeVries doesn’t want his teams to be overly reliant on any one area of offense, instead playing off the opposing team’s defense.

“We’re going to play offense and what that ends up being is what it is,” DeVries said during a press conference on Friday. “We’re going to take what the defense gives us. If one night they’re giving us 30 threes, we’ll take 30 threes. If they’re trying to take the threes away then we’ve got to be able to pivot and drive the ball.” 

Last season with DeVries as their coach, the Drake Bulldogs shot more than 30 three-pointers four times, and less than 20 eight times.

“I think you have to be consistent that way, otherwise, you end up taking shots that aren’t really available that night,” DeVries said. “I don’t think you want to be stubborn on that. As an offense, we want to be as flexible as possible.”

A big part of DeVries’s system is centered around playing in transition — as was demonstrated during the team’s exhibition against Charleston last month — but when things do slow down and the Mountaineers have to run a half-court offense, DeVries wants his players to be able to read a defense and make plays, but just blindly run a set.

“We’re still going to play offense the same way, it’s just maybe one night you’re getting a three out of a play and the next night it might be a back cut,” DeVries explained. “I think that the biggest thing we want our guys to do is when you’re playing offense, to trust your instincts. Not just be a robot, we want them to be able to go make a play that’s needed.”

The Mountaineers were very balanced in their exhibition against Charleston, scoring 42 points in the paint, making 11 three-pointers and scoring 17 on the fast break.

The offense will run through senior forward Tucker DeVries, who led the team with 13 shots against Charleston, but plenty of other players will get chances. Tucker DeVries, Darian’s son, averaged 21.6 points per game last season, ninth-most in the country, but there will be opportunities for others to make an impact as well.

“I think we have a lot of guys that can take shots and are capable of three-point shooting,” Coach DeVries said. “We’ll see what that looks like when the lights are on, but we’ve got guys who can have a night. It’s always good to have several guys that can go get you 20 on any given night.”

One of those guys is Oklahoma State transfer Javon Small, who led the Cowboys with 15.1 points per game last season. Another could eventually be Detroit Mercy transfer Jayden Stone, who averaged 20.8 points per game, but he will miss the beginning of the season with an injury.

“That’ll change as the season goes as well,” DeVries said of his initial offensive gameplan. “When we get into games maybe we need to get Toby (Okani) on the block more or we’ve got to get Amani (Hansberry) more threes or whatever it may be. In each game, you might be able to add to what you’re doing and tweak it a little bit. That’s kind of the fun part.”

Tucker DeVries led Drake in scoring last season, but three other players also averaged double-digits. Three players took over 160 three-pointers — a fourth took 98 — and seven players took over 100 shots total.

How much each player is involved in the scoring on any given night will be less dependent on what the Mountaineers want to do and more based on what their opponent’s defense is giving them.

“There will be sets designed to get a three-point shot for a specific person, but that doesn’t mean we have to shoot it on that set,” DeVries said. “Run the play, try to execute it, but take what the defense gives you.”

WVU basketball is set to open the 2024-25 season next Monday, Nov. 5 at home against Robert Morris. Tipoff inside the WVU Coliseum is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

For a related story, WVU basketball will hold Jerry West Day during its matchup against Iowa State this season.