West Virginia has had several players on the basketball roster make their mark throughout the course of the early portion of the season.
Popular names that fall under that category would be Javon Small, Tucker DeVries and Amani Hansberry for what they’ve done on the floor.
But one that has made his own significant impact but perhaps has gone under the radar a bit is forward Toby Okani. The fifth-year senior scored in double figures in all three of the games in the Battle 4 Atlantis, including his most impressive effort to date - a 20 point performance in the win over Arizona.
In that game, Okani not only scored his season-high but grabbed five rebounds, including several clutch boards on the offensive end in order to extend possessions.
“I thought Toby was terrific. Very efficient and Toby has really tried to adjust his game to what this team needs. He’s done an unbelievable job, especially these last couple weeks of where he can be the most effective,” head coach Darian DeVries said.
Okani has also gotten more comfortable with his role on the offensive end and 5-8 from three during that three-game stretch in the Bahamas. But the Mountaineers are hoping that’s the start of an impressive stretch of play out of the Illinois-Chicago transfer.
“He’s shooting it at a high rate from three. Doing a great job of putting himself in position to rebound. He’s screening for other guys which is not only getting them open but also himself,” DeVries said.
DeVries was able to talk to Okani after the start of the season with the primary focus being on embracing his role both only with rebounding but what he can do on defense.
“Be great at those other things,” DeVries said.
On the defensive end, there’s no question what the versatile Okani brings to the table. At 6-foot-8, Okani has the ability to defend every position on the floor and is a big part of what West Virginia is able to do at that end. His length is an issue for every opponent on the schedule.
That isn’t lost on anybody on the roster.
“Toby is a guy that his value might not show up in the stat sheet like other guys. He plays tremendously hard and has been a big part of what we do offensively and defensively although people might not realize it,” senior forward Tucker DeVries said.
But if Okani keeps putting in quality minutes like he’s done in recent games it’s going to be hard to keep it a secret much longer.
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