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Published Oct 23, 2024
DeVries readies for first season at WVU during Big 12 Media Days
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Wesley Shoemaker  •  WVSports
Staff Writer

On Wednesday, West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries spoke at Big 12 Media Days about his excitement for the upcoming season.

He spoke on his transition to WVU, his thoughts on his roster, and what he expects from arguably the best conference in college basketball.

Transitioning to WVU

DeVries will participate in his first Big 12 season this year as he's in year one of being the head man at WVU.

DeVries talked about what this offseason was like as well as how he's adjusting to life in Morgantown.

"Certainly a different transition going to a football school, you have that on Saturdays and a bigger school. Spending most of my career at two private schools and now you get a public university. But we've loved it. The fanbase has been terrific, they've been incredibly welcoming to myself, our families, the team, and we're excited to be a part of it. Can't wait to get in front of them here November 4th for the season opener," DeVries said.

DeVries also said he's excited about his son, Tucker, following him to WVU and them getting to experience this new journey together.

"He obviously put a lot of faith in me we felt our family could be happy and I know he's certainly excited about this opportunity to play in front of our fans and we're super pumped to get to do this one more time together and it's been an incredible experience for both of us," DeVries said.

Roster Management

The longest part of the offseason for DeVries was building a roster. He said he knew he was going to be behind schedule based on him switching schools, but he wanted to have a smart approach when putting the pieces together.

"I love the way our roster was able to shape up even though you have a late start when you have a coaching change," DeVries said.

He added how it was vital to make something that was sustainable and create a long-term approach.

"I told our staff the same thing, we wanted to make sure we didn't get in a hurry just to put a roster together," DeVries said.

"We were very selective to make sure we were getting the type of guys that fit us and how we wanted to play and how we wanted the locker room to be and the type of guys we wanted in that locker room. We were excited about it. I thought we were very happy with the way it all ended up. It took a while when you have to put that many guys together in a short period of time. But great bunch of guys, work incredibly hard, about the right things, and excited to get a chance to coach them."

DeVries is also excited about many pieces on his roster. He named the obvious answer of Tucker as well as Javon Small, who both joined him at media days, but also talked about other guys across his roster.

"I think we've got several guys. I'm excited about them all but I think Sencire Harris, Toby Okani, Amani Hansberry, those three guys have really played well here in the fall and I'm excited to see how that group blends together," DeVries said.

Big 12 Expectations

West Virginia gets off to a tough start in conference play as the Mountaineers hit the road to face Kansas.

"I think it was a welcome to the Big 12," DeVries said. "Tremendous challenge to open Big 12 play and my first game as a Big 12 coach and Coach Self is one of the best that there is out there and his teams are always incredibly difficult to play against, especially in Allen Fieldhouse. We're excited about it, I think every game in the Big 12 is a tremendous challenge. That's what makes this league so tough," DeVries said.

Another aspect of this is the travel which DeVries said they are going to have to get used to but also learn about as they get adjusted to the league schedule throughout the year.

"For us, it's my first time, our first time in the league and having to travel. I think overall, coaches, players, are pretty resilient in figuring out ways to adapt and adjust their sleep schedules and travel schedules. You just find out a way to make it work. I think everybody in the league has to travel, have to go somewhere, and we're no different. But it's something as the season goes on I think our guys will adjust to as it goes," DeVries said.

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