Myers has worked hard to improve on the other end of the floor

It took Teyvon Myers 13-months but he believes he finally has the hang of it.

The it in that sentence is defense and Myers play, or lack thereof, on that end of the floor was a major reason in him seeing under nine minutes per game last year as a heralded junior college prospect.

After arriving late to start his career, Myers was already behind the eight ball in his development but was being asked to do something that was foreign to him.

“I was always scoring. None of my coaches asked me to play defense,” he said.

That all changed when he stepped through the door at the West Virginia practice facility. Head coach Bob Huggins is a tough, defensive minded coach and while Myers expected that when he signed with the Mountaineers he quickly found out the hard way that to see the floor, you lock down.

He didn’t even need Huggins to point it out to him. Myers noticed last season that when he was in the game the ball was going to his side of the floor when the Mountaineers were in their press.

“I was tired of people inbounding the ball on my side so I just took that into consideration,” he said.

So Myers went to work and added 20-pounds to his frame in order to with stand his new commitment on the defensive end. He’s actually found that it hasn’t affected his offensive game and he has now put his focus into learning how to play within the Mountaineers sets instead of freelancing.

“I know what coach Huggins needs from me and what I bring to the table,” he said.

Now in his final season, Myers has taken enough strides in that department that even his head coach has taken notice citing that he has looked “better,” on defense.

But given his overall athleticism, it is an issue that shouldn’t have taken this long to fix. In large part because the majority of what it takes to play defense comes with effort and a drive to do it.

Huggins points to players like junior Daxter Miles who didn’t enter the program with a reputation on that end of the floor but quickly established one to keep himself in the rotation.

“I think it’s a mindset that you’re going to do it and you’re going to do it with a little bit of resolve,” Huggins chimed in on the issue.

While the top three guards on the roster are firmly entrenched, Myers is making a bid to be the fourth man in the backcourt and is spending time at both the two and the one. But in 13 months the one thing he has learned above all others is play defense if you want to play in the games.

“It’s taken me a long time but things are coming easier,” he said.