Quick Hits: Senior Day Emotions, Challenges UCF Presents, Surpassing Expectations + More

Darian DeVries discusses the final game of the 2024-25 regular season.

West Virginia University head coach Darian DeVries | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

West Virginia head basketball coach Darian DeVries spoke with the media on Friday morning ahead of the team's final regular season game against UCF.

Emotions heading into Senior Day

“I think for us, it’s a little bit unique. It’s our first year and every senior’s first year. I think from just a coaching standpoint, it’s an appreciation of these guys willing to come and spend their last year to play for us and believe in what we were trying to get started. That says a lot for us that they believe in us. And also, a reflection on the year they’ve had and been able to put together. All these seniors had different roles in that, but all handled those roles incredibly well.”

How he sold winning to the seniors who transferred in

“I think part of it was, believe in yourself and then believe in the other we’re putting around you. At the end of the day, winning is a mindset and like we told them, everybody is coming here because they want to win too. When everybody’s got that same mentality, it gives you a chance every night.”

What are the challenges that UCF presents

“A lot. They can score. I mean, you can look at them throughout the whole season, but even more specifically, this back half of the season, they are putting up huge numbers offensively. Having won three of their last four, they’re playing really well down the stretch here. They’re hard to keep off that scoreboard.”

If this team has overachieved

“I don’t think we overachieved, underachieved anything. Our goal the whole time was to maximize what we thought we could do and try to do that every day. I think this group has given us incredible effort and focus the entire season. We obviously think there was more out there that we would’ve liked to have won when we look back on a few games, but that’s probably the case every year. I just love this group and the way they’ve come and fought every day - appreciative of that mindset.”

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