Get to know Best Virginia ahead of TBT 2024

This year, Best Virginia takes its show on the road.

The West Virginia University alumni basketball team is back to make another run at the $1 million prize in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), and it will make the trek up I-79 to the Pittsburgh Regional from July 19-23 at Petersen Events Center.

One month out from TBT 2024, here is how Best Virginia’s roster stands.

Guards

• Chase Harler – Harler, who is also Best Virginia’s new GM, played all four years of his college career in Morgantown and is making his third TBT appearance. His best season at WVU came in 2018-2019 when he made 16 starts, averaging 5.4 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. Since graduating from WVU, he has made professional stops in Lithuania, Sweden and Hungary.

• Sean McNeil – The former WVU guard returns for his second TBT with Best Virginia. McNeil played three seasons at WVU before transferring to Ohio St in 2022 to finish his college career. With the Buckeyes, he averaged 9.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He was the second-leading scorer for the Mountaineers during the 2021-2022 season, averaging 12.2 points per game. He was a 41.4 percent shooter from the floor and shot 36.8 percent from three-point range in his final season at WVU.

• Taz Sherman – Sherman will make his first TBT appearance this summer. In three seasons at WVU, he played in 90 total games and made 41 starts. He started all 31 contests in his final season and averaged 34.1 minutes and 17.7 points per game, becoming the 55th Mountaineer to reach 1,000 points. He reached double-figure scoring in all but two games during the 2021-22 season and tallied 20 or more points on 11 different occasions. In addition to leading the Mountaineers in points per game, he had a team-best 75 assists and 41 steals.

• Teyvon Myers – Another one of Best Virginia’s regulars is back for his fourth consecutive TBT. Myers was part of the “Press Virginia” teams at WVU, contributing to the Mountaineers Sweet-16 run in 2017. This past spring, he averaged 19.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game for TED Ankara Kolejilier in Turkey.

• Tarik Phillip – The latest addition to the 2024 roster is a familiar face for Best Virginia fans. Phillip rejoins the team after two years off while he competed professionally in London. In three seasons at WVU from 2014-17, he averaged 7.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

Forwards

• Esa Ahmad – With Best Virginia’s starting forward positions up in the air, Ahmad joins the team at the perfect time. His 27-point performance in WVU’s upset of a top-five Kansas team in 2017 and his 30-point game against Valparaiso in 2018 were the high points of his WVU career and two instances where he was able to score in bunches. He has played professionally in Cyprus, Hungary, Argentina and Germany.

• Devin Williams – Williams rejoins Best Virginia after leaving for The Money Team in 2020. In three seasons at WVU from 2013-16, he averaged 11.1 points, 8,3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Most recently, he led he T1 League in Taiwan in rebounds as a forward for the TaiwanBeer Leopards.

• Jonathan Holton – The former WVU big man will make his second appearance for Best Virginia after missing the 2022 and 2023 tournaments. Another staple of the Press Virginia days, Holton will look to bring size and defense to Best Virginia’s roster. He averaged 8.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in two seasons at West Virginia from 2014-2016.

• John Flowers – As is expected for the heartbeat of Best Virginia, Flowers is back for TBT 2024. During his time at WVU (2007-11), he helped the Mountaineers claim the Big East Championship and reach the NCAA Final Four in 2010. He has played professionally in Japan, France, Germany, Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, and most recently Uruguay.

• Wesley Harris – Harris spent most of two seasons from 2017-2019 at WVU and averaged 6.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game during that time. After he and Ahmad were released from the WVU men’s basketball program in 2019 for violating athletic department policies, he averaged 11.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in a graduate season at Tennessee State.
  
• Xavier Bledson – Bledson is currently the only Best Virginia player without any direct ties to West Virginia University. He recently finished his collegiate career this spring, and he averaged 7.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in three seasons at Indiana State.

• Kevin Jones – Outside of who will be the team’s head coach, Jones’ status as a player remains the biggest question mark for Best Virginia. He is currently listed as an assistant coach on the official roster, and Best Virginia’s X account said the same in a recent post, but it also teased a potential return as a player. The back-to-back leading scorer for Best Virginia is also the only coach on the official roster with a jersey number next to his name. The WVU Sports Hall of Famer played in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2012-13 season and was a G-League All-Star in 2014. His pro career has taken him to places like the Philippines, France, Serbia, Russia, Spain, and Japan.

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