Juwan Staten Speaks to Media About The Basketball Tournament, Best Virginia
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Juwan Staten announced Tuesday that he would return to Best Virginia, the West Virginia University Alumni team that competes annually in The Basketball Tournament
Staten spoke on his experience playing in The Tournament, citing that it is different from any other league that he has played in.
"It's a lot different than any other league because it's like win or go home," Staten said. "It puts the importance on every game. You can't really have a bad game. You gotta be clicking on all cylinders... and luck on your side, too. It's tough, but it's exciting."
He expects the team to be "high IQ" and able to fill various roles in order to win. Although there are only five players currently on the Best Virginia roster, he expects the roster to be competitive.
Nathan Adrian low-fives Teyvon Myers against WoCo Showtime in the first round of the 2021 TBT.
Mike Lawrence/TBT
Staten said that when players return to play for Best Virginia, he notices that his teammates' basketball IQs have increased.
"It's kind of unique," Staten said. "Everybody is playing in a different country, so everybody is bringing their different feels and philosophies together and just helping each other get better as we progress."
Since leaving WVU in 2015, Staten said his game has evolved when it comes to his knowledge of the game in part due to coaching and player development.
"[Coaching and player developement] has helped me step away from playing as much and see the game from a different perspective," Staten said. "I think that has helped me a lot from an IQ perspective."
Family comes first for Staten. He finds his kids being able to come to his basketball games as a plus.
"My son, he's a sponge," Staten said. "He sees everything... He comes to some practices when I'm coaching. He'll be shooting on his little rim and telling me, 'Good move daddy! Good pass!'... This little dude picks up on everything, so that's always cool for me."
Staten and Best Virginia will be playing at the Charleston Civic Center at The Basketball Tournament's West Virginia Region July 24-27. Tickets are on sale now.
