Competition and Toughness Highlight WVU Preseason Practice
The transfer portal has ushered in a new era of college athletics and has nearly every coach in every major NCAA sport scrambling to construct a winning team on a yearly basis.
It has been an adjustment for all, and few have found immediate success, whether it will be sustained or not has yet to be determined but forming or maintaining the identity of the program appears to be one of the toughest challenges with coaches frantically searching for pieces to replace the departed annually.
West Virginia men's basketball coach Bob Huggins has always done things his way and in doing so, earned his spot in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Although one could argue he's struggled navigating this new system put in place, and in his search to fill gaps to get the program over the hump, primarily on the offensive end, the program lacked toughness. As a result, the Mountaineers failed to reach the .500 mark twice in the last four seasons - it had not happened in 20 years in Morgantown.
Mar 7, 2020; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Emmitt Matthews Jr. (11) drives past Baylor Bears guard Mark Vital (11) during the second half at WVU Coliseum.
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Prior to both of the losing seasons, Huggins generally liked the squads going into the year, but both teams fell apart in the midst of conference play. Forward Emmitt Matthews Jr. was on the first of the two losing seasons and recalled the difference between his freshman and sophomore seasons when the Mountaineers returned to the NCAA Tournament.
“You see, freshman year we didn’t buy-in in 2018 and our record was a perfect reflection of what we did as a team (15-21),” said Matthews. “Sophomore year we came back, and everybody locked in, we were able to go to Spain, we had a good time, and we came back, and we all wanted to compete and win.
“We didn’t go to Spain, we didn’t get a foreign trip this year, but everybody came in with the mindset of, ‘OK, we’re going to do whatever it takes to win whether that’s diving for a loose ball – the little things.’ And I think this team, we focus on those little things maybe a little more than usual, but I think it’s a good thing.”
Huggins, again, likes this year’s edition of the Mountaineers endorsing those sentiments again this season. The Mountaineers are only in the second week of preseason practice, but Huggins appears to have put together a team that reflects his personality, competitive.
“They want to play. They all came here to play, and I think it's helped the younger guys because they’re looking around knowing they’ve got to be competitive if they’re going to play,” said Huggins. “I think it’s been really good from a competitive standpoint.”
Jan 18, 2022; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Bob Huggins talks with West Virginia Mountaineers guard Kedrian Johnson (0) during the first half against the Baylor Bears at WVU Coliseum.
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Despite the fierce competition on the floor, the Mountaineers remained gelled off the floor.
“It’s a really good group of guys. They really like each other,” Huggins said. “I think we all had a fear of guys coming in, especially when guys are coming in and competing for the same position that they really wouldn’t like each other very much, that hasn’t been the case at all.”
The drive to win has led to some bloody noses and stitches according to Matthews and guard Kedrian Johnson.
“I'd say we're a pretty tough team. If you watched a practice, you'd think we we're pretty tough,” said Johnson.
The other day, (transfer forward) Jimmy's (Bell) nose was bleeding, (sophomore) James' (Okonkwo) arm was cut - they came back and practiced.”
The practices have also become a bit heated.
“We've had a lot of altercations in practice already, but it never left the court, it stayed on the court and not in the locker room after,” said Johnson. “I looked at Huggs during one altercation and he was just over there smiling and laughing.”
Feb 8, 2022; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Kedrian Johnson (0) dunks the ball during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones at WVU Coliseum.
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
South Carolina transfer guard Erik Stevenson has been identified to have the competitive spirit and toughness Huggins searches for.
“Erik is like a younger Huggs when it comes to the attitude,” said Johnson. “He's always fired up no matter what drill.”
Time will tell if the tough practices churn into a winning season, and possibly a run in the NCAA tournament, but Matthews compares this team to the 2019-20 squad, a team poised for the postseason prior to the world shutting down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Everyone wants to win and once you got guys that all buy-in, especially in the system we have here, it works – that’s always how it’s been,” said Matthews.
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