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Last night, after the dust settled on a big day for West Virginia basketball, one thing caught the attention of many on social media. That thing, was the hashtag “PressVirginia” posted by the West Virginia men’s basketball team.
So, could Press Virginia really be back?
This offseason, West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins has taken strides in the transfer portal. After saying he felt like he needed to attack the portal differently this offseason, he did. The Mountaineers first added South Carolina transfer Erik Stevenson, before adding Iowa transfer Joe Toussaint and JUCO pickup Mohamed Wague yesterday.
The trio of Stevenson, Toussaint, and fifth-year returner Kedrian Johnson combined for 136 steals a season ago. Combine that with Wague, who finished with 102 blocks last season, and the ingredients are at least there for a style like Press Virginia.
Huggins has always said Press Virginia worked because they had ball pressure and a guy in the back who could block shots. Huggins has three guards who can defend well, and with two scholarship positions remaining open, it would not be a surprise to see him add another big.
During the Press Virginia days, the Mountaineers had Jevon Carter chasing around the opposing teams’ point guard, while Sagaba Konate was a force to be reckoned with at the rim. In 2018, Carter averaged 3.0 steals per game, while Konate averaged 3.2 blocks per game. With Stevenson, Toussaint, and Johnson, the Mountaineers could certainly harass other guards, Stevenson averaged 1.1 steals per game, Toussaint 1.4 steals per game, and Johnson averaged 1.6 steals per game.
As for Huggins, he is trying to rebuild his style of basketball in defense. The Mountaineers ranked 63rd in the country by KenPom in defensive efficiency last season, while being ranked 77th in offensive efficiency.
Going back to a style of speeding opposing teams up, while getting turnovers leading to easy points will certainly help West Virginia improve in both of those categories. It should be noted, Huggins and the Mountaineers might want to press, but with the addition of many rules in place to aid the offensive player, it could prove to be easier said than done.
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