West Virginia hoops placing emphasis on skill, decision making
West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries is placing an emphasis on ball handlers.
In recent years at Drake DeVries has had multiple on the floor at the same time in order to allow more versatility on the offensive side and help with guarding the ball on defense.
It’s something that allows different players to handle the rock and provides more overall versatility to the offense as a whole whether it be out of set plays or decision-making down the stretch in critical situations.
“I think that helps with their development because they’re asked to do it every single day in practice and you get into games and that’s something they’ve done for an extended period of time,” DeVries said.
But there’s also some limitations that need to be understood when it comes to individual players on the roster. If somebody proves capable, that’s fine but it can’t be forced because it can lead to trouble.
“It’s important to have ball handlers and it’s important to know when you’re not a ball handler, too,” he said.
And so far, DeVries has liked what he has seen on out of his current Mountaineers basketball team.
“I think there’s some really good upside there with those pieces and that depth,” he said.
Oklahoma State transfer Javon Small is a beneficiary of having multiple players that can handle the ball or bring it up the court as a primary point guard and the benefits are obvious.
“That way I can run the floor and somebody else can bring it up or I know naturally I bring up the ball most of the time but if somebody wants to pick me up at full court, I’m not about to waste energy,” he said. “I’ll pass the ball and let them bring it up. I think we have a lot of ball handlers on the team.”
What the Mountaineers lack in size, DeVries and company are hoping they can make up for in the areas of toughness and skill. And having multiple players that can handle the role certainly helps that.
“Able to space the floor and usually people who handle the ball most times have a pretty good IQ,” Small said. “I feel like everybody on the team is smart. Everyone else can create a type of damage with the ball in their hands.”
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