Depth playing a critical role in success for WVU hoops team
West Virginia’s narrow win against Texas this past Saturday not only showcased its ability to finish a game strong while overcoming adversity but also the capability of its bench to step up play at a high level.
The Mountaineers have shown throughout this season that they are not a team that lives and dies behind one dominant player.
Instead, West Virginia has achieved success with a starting five with numerous talents and skills combined that produce a lethal combination and a reliable bench full of players that can step in at anytime for a starter and become an immediate game changer.
“We feel like any man can step up on any given night,” senior guard Teyvon Myers said.
Against the Longhorns, West Virginia’s leading scorers Daxter Miles Jr. and Esa Ahmad combined for only 11 points.
In this game, it was Myers who played a vital role in helping the Mountaineers pull off the win, as he came off the bench and led West Virginia with 16 points.
It always seems as if when one player has an off day, another one steps up and leads the team.
“Well I think that’s been our team all year,” head coach Bob Huggins said. “One day Dax (Daxter Miles Jr.) will have 20 and then maybe the next day Nate (Nathan Adrian) will have 20 and maybe JC (Jevon Carter) will have 20. I think it’s hard to scheme to stop a certain a guy.”
What is helping West Virginia establish a reliable bench is having a group of players who have game experience and won’t collapse under pressure if put into the game on the spot.
Huggins’s goal early in the season was to get some of the young players on the floor such as freshmen Sagaba Konate and Maciej Bender and redshirt freshman Lamont West to get some valuable minutes.
That early season experience has seemed to pay off as all three of these players have made major contributions and continue to do so.
Having this depth will be a game changer for West Virginia as the season progresses as there are some college basketball teams who have a scarce amount of game changers outside of its starting five.
This depth will also be key when the regular season winds down and conference tournaments begin. It’s during that time where players can suffer injuries that can hurt the team’s chances for a postseason run.
If the Mountaineers are poised to make a deep tournament run this season, their bench will have to continue step up and come through in critical situations.