West Virginia developing cohesion, confidence
Rarely do teams have to undergo as many changes as what West Virginia has endured this season.
The Mountaineers have had a number of different lineups this season due to players either being injured or unavailable due to suspensions or eligibility concerns.
And while West Virginia still isn’t completely intact with center Jesse Edwards on the sideline for the next four weeks due to a fractured wrist the team is starting to find some cohesion with the majority of the roster on the floor.
West Virginia scored a season-high 91 points against Toledo and on the offensive end, it was especially noticeable with the Mountaineers playing at a faster pace and getting downhill to the rim. Senior guard RaeQuan Battle finished with 29 points while hitting 9-15 shots. Meanwhile, forward Quinn Slazinski chipped in with 14 points and guard Noah Farrakhan had 12 points.
Point guard Kerr Kriisa also played the role of floor general in screen situations and finished with 12 points and 10 assists, the first time that a player has hit that mark since 2019.
Related: Photos: WVU vs Toledo 2023
“I think it’s getting better. That was the most complete game with the most complete roster. Offense looked pretty good in parts. We got a little too ISO but that happens when you have talented players,” Kriisa said.
But improvement is only to be expected as the group continues to take the floor together.
“It’s a little bit of a chemistry thing. It’s one thing to practice together every day and try to learn off each other but until we get into game scenarios and get those guys the right run together it’s not the same as practice,” head coach Josh Eilert said. “I felt like they played more cohesively.”
On top of playing cohesively, the Mountaineers were also more patient on the offensive end, running sets with multiple actions and working to get the ball to open shooters. For the game, West Virginia matched a season-high with 17 assists on 31 made baskets while shooting 52 percent.
Eilert believes it was a more balanced attack with Kriisa leading the offense as he continues to get more comfortable with what is asked of him along with his teammates.
“He’s learning where he can deliver the ball to certain guys. Kerr is really good, he’s a magician in that way in terms of putting the ball where guys can handle it,” Eilert said.
The Mountaineers still need work on the defensive end but without a big piece to that puzzle in Edwards that too isn’t all that surprising.
The message from Eilert is that everybody on the roster has new roles but that isn’t surprising. Everybody understood that the lineups would change after certain players returned to the rotation and with Battle and Farrakhan now eligible due to the preliminary injunction it adds even more options.
“The pace goes the right way, they're going to have a huge role in our success moving forward and as soon as everybody buys into their role 100 percent we’re going to be a good team,” Eilert said.
That will be the challenge moving forward sitting at 5-7 with a very difficult schedule ahead. The Mountaineers have endured a lot to this point, but believe their best is still ahead of them.
“Our results don't say how good of a team we are,” Kriisa said.
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @ZAndersonJRL
