On Thursday, West Virginia men’s basketball head coach Darian DeVries addressed the upcoming game against UMass on Friday night, the need for physicality and the NCAA basketball early signing period.
DeVries was asked if the Mountaineers were up to the physical challenge presented by the Minutemen. He mentioned that he understands the challenge and sees it as a test for the team.
“We’re going to find out right? They play the same way every year. They (UMass) are going to be tough, they are going to be physical. We understand what the challenge is going to be on Friday and it’ll be a great test for us to see if we can match that type of physicality,” DeVries said.
Rebounding was an issue for the Mountaineers in their season opener, despite a decisive win over mid-major Robert Morris. When asked if DeVries believed this team could be a good rebounding squad, he ultimately said yes,
“Yeah, I think we can be a good rebounding team. The things I’m seeing right now is not being overwhelmed, it’s more about continuing to create better habits,” DeVries said. You gotta lay bodies on people, you gotta hit. Most of the rebounds we are not getting is just a lack of executing.”
The NCAA basketball early signing period for commits is coming up, taking place from Nov. 13 through Nov. 20. DeVries was asked how recruiting is looking, with a couple of commits already known, such as four-star Kelvin Odih and three-star Brayden Hawthorne.
“I don’t know. Might have a surprise We might not have a surprise,” DeVries said. “The reality of it is that we are always recruiting. We have recruits on campus that come to games and official visits, and that’ll continue throughout the year. You always wait for the ones who want to be here and a part of it, and when they are ready we are ready.”
Last year, the Mountaineers lost to UMass 87-79. The new team will look for a different result Friday night at the Coliseum.
