In year one under head coach Darian DeVries, the No. 21-ranked West Virginia men’s basketball team has surprised many; leading the charge for the Mountaineers is senior guard Javon Small.
The product of South Bend, Indiana, is coming off a week where he was named Big 12 Player of the Week, Naismith Trophy Player of the Week and Andy Katz’s National Player of the Week. Small has been heavily relied on as of late, with senior forward Tucker DeVries sidelined indefinitely due to an upper-body injury. With his player the past few games, it is safe to say Small has stepped up to the occasion, helping lead WVU to a 5-1 record since DeVries’ injury.
On the season, Small leads the Mountaineers with 19.4 points, 4.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game. His 5.4 rebounds per game also ranks second most on the team.
Despite his two double-doubles, Small’s best performance came against formerly-ranked-No. 3 Gonzaga in WVU’s first signature win under head coach DeVries. Small had a season-high 31 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal, shooting 50% from the field and 40% from three, lifting West Virginia to the semi-finals in the Battle 4 Atlantis (B4A) Tournament, where they eventually took third.
After last season, where he was Oklahoma State’s leading scorer, Small entered the transfer portal as one of the more highly sought-after guards due to experience and scoring ability. Small chose West Virginia over many power-conference programs, giving DeVries a solid piece to help turn around his new program in just a year.
With Big 12 play still in the early stages, WVU sits at an 11-3 record (1-1 in conference play), already surpassing their win total from last season under interim head coach Josh Eiliert. The Mountaineers are coming off a tough loss to Arizona after having previously defeated them in a nonconference game for third place in the B4A tournament.
Next up for West Virginia are back-to-back road games against Colorado and No. 12 Houston, respectively, before they take on No. 3 Iowa State in front of a sold-out crowd at home. Following the loss to Arizona, look for the Mountaineers to bounce back and continue to turn heads, with Small leading the charge.
