Quick Hits: Darian DeVries preps team for first scrimmage

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Even from August until October, the West Virginia men’s basketball team has take noticeable strides, according to head coach Darian DeVries.

Here are the biggest takeaways from DeVries’ media availability eight days ahead of the team’s exhibition against the University of Charleston.

Ready to face another team

Next week’s exhibition, which comes 17 days before WVU’s season opener against Robert Morris, will mark 10 weeks since the end of the team’s Italy trip when it last had game-like action.

“I know our guys are ready to play,” he said. “Even though we had the [trip to] Italy, it’s just a different type of vibe and feel in terms of the game situation. Our guys are ready to play somebody else. They’re at that point right now, and we need something new.”

Redshirt philosophy

Unlike football, players who take a non-medical redshirt cannot participate in any games for that season, so it is around this time each year head coaches find out if a player will sit out for the year by taking a redshirt.

“I always, as a general rule, try to leave it up to the kid,” DeVries said.

He added that there are 1-2 players this season on the WVU roster who could consider taking a redshirt year.

“I’m never going to force a kid to redshirt,” he said. “I want that to be their decision that they feel like that’s best for them.”

Stretch forwards

A lot of preseason talk has surrounded Illinois transfer Amani Hansberry, who will, at times, play center as a 6-foot-8-inch forward in the WVU offense. DeVries has been vocal that he recruits forwards who can play in space on the outside and who can be a thumper in the paint as needed.

“In general, most of the forwards that we’ve had have always been more of that stretch-forward-type variety,” DeVries said.

“A lot of that is ’cause we recruit that way,” he added. “We’re pretty intentional to make sure we’re recruiting to how we want to play, the style of how we want to play, and we put a big emphasis on that.”

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