West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries addressed the media prior to the Iowa State contest. WVSports.com provides a summary of what was said.
--DeVries said that in-game fatigue isn't a problem but in practice they try to manage as much as they can such as with Javon Small with managing his reps and keeping him as fresh as they can. DeVries said they'd like to get Small out of games more to let him catch his breath and let him rest a little bit more. It isn't being fair to him but having KJ Tenner back will help with that.
--It's mostly the player and their own feel when they make those decisions to take guys out. Javon Small does a good job of letting him know when to comes out.
--Houston does that to everybody defensively with team defense. Javon Small is going to get a lot of attention coming off ball screens and Iowa State is very good defensively and going to challenge him a lot.
--Offensively Javon Small got off to a good start against Houston and in the second half they took him away but he made the right plays when two guys came to the ball. Small is about winning. They would like to find him a way to get more shots when they are trying to take him away but the offense actually ran well.
--Iowa State is really good and are a team that when they get in the tournament has a chance to win it all. They were really good last year but the component they improved the most on is the offensive side. The bigs can pass and they play well off each other and it complements the guards.
--The biggest thing is West Virginia has to take care of the ball. You can't give Iowa State transition opportunities because they'll make you pay. They have to take care of the basketball.
--Biggest thing is you think of the logo in the NBA when you think of Jerry West. But being here, you look at what he did and the records that still stand today it's an unbelievable accomplishment. It's awesome they get a chance to celebrate his legacy and it makes for a really special day. It's something that they'll talk about today.
--DeVries is expecting this place to be rocking tomorrow. When he was looking at what this job was about this is the first thing that stood out was the fan base. He can't wait for that energy.
--If not the best, Iowa State is one of the most balanced teams out there in terms of how they can score and beat you. There are a lot of hard decisions to make. You have to compete at every position to make things as difficult as possible. Their starting five for sure are very good and can fill it up in a hurry. They play well together and play to win.
--There's a few things they will try that Texas Tech did against Iowa State because they did a lot of things well. The Cyclones stayed in it the whole game and found a way to win the game.
--DeVries said there might become a point where they could decide that Tucker DeVries would redshirt but they aren't there yet. He is staying engaged and doing what he can to get back on the floor.
--The ankle for Joe Yesufu is good.
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