West Virginia coach calls Gonzaga matchup ‘a great challenge’ for his team

Mountaineers head coach said his players are 'motivated' at chance to improve ahead of Gonzaga matchup in the Battle 4 Atlantis

West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Darian DeVries. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

While playing three games in three days can sound tiresome for some coaches, West Virginia men’s basketball head coach Darian DeVries looks forward to a postseason-type atmosphere when his Mountaineers take on No. 3 Gonzaga to tip off the Battle 4 Atlantis from The Bahamas on Wednesday.

“I love [multi-team events] for that reason because it gives you kind of a preview of the Big 12 Tournament,” DeVries said following the Mountaineers’ 86-43 win over Iona on Nov. 20. “So you get a little feel for that tournament type environment, that tournament feel of seeing how guys respond after a night. They've guaranteed these three games, but we're gonna have a real good idea — like a maybe we need to sub a little bit more — or whatever it might be, and be able to get some feedback from this tournament.”

DeVries, who made the move down to Morgantown, West Virginia, after guiding Drake to the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four seasons, has a lot to learn about his team before they head to Kansas City, Missouri, for the Big 12 conference tournament in March. Along with a new environment, DeVries brought in an entirely fresh batch of faces for his first year at the helm of the Mountaineers men’s basketball program, which went 9-23 (4-14 Big 12) under Josh Eilert in 2023-24. West Virginia’s transfer portal class, headlined by Darian’s son Tucker DeVries (21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds at Drake last season) ranked No. 15 in the country according to EvanMiya.com.

Through the first four games, Oklahoma State transfer Javon Small leads the Mountaineers at 15.5 points per game and is one of four guards expected to start against the Zags. The senior guard led the way with 23 points in the victory over the Gaels, as West Virginia went 15-of-31 (48.4%) from the 3-point line and held its opposition to just 14-of-59 (23.7%) from the field, including 5-of-19 (26.3%) from distance. 

While winning by 43 points is quite the response to a 24-point loss against Pittsburgh, DeVries knows his team not only had room to improve, but that his players look forward to the challenges that come with facing the Bulldogs.

“It's an opportunity,” DeVries said. “I mean it's a great game for us, a great challenge for us. We understand between now and next week, when we toss it up in The Bahamas, we got to get better at some things and we know that we're not going to be a complete fix by next Wednesday, but we got to continue to grow as a team in certain areas. And I think our guys are pretty motivated to do that and just continue to get better.”

Gonzaga (5-0) enters the matchup coming off an 84-41 victory over Long Beach State at home last week. The Bulldogs already boast victories over No. 17 Baylor (101-63), Arizona State (88-80) and San Diego State (80-67) and rank No. 1 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.com. Five players average 11 or more points, led by 6-foot-9 forward Graham Ike at 14.6 points.

The winner of Wednesday’s matchup will take on either No. 14 Indiana (4-0) or Louisville (3-1) on Thanksgiving Day at 9 a.m. PST on either ESPN or ESPN2. The consolation game will be at 11:30 a.m. PST.

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