Reinforcements On the Way? DeVries Hints at Possible Return of Three Key Players

Some positive news on the injury front for the West Virginia Mountaineers.

West Virginia University forward Amani Hansberry / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Darian DeVries isn't one who likes to reveal much when it comes to injuries. He'll give the bare minimum in injury updates, most likely to keep opponents guessing as to who will and who won't be available. Because teams aren't forced to post injury reports, giving too much info away puts you at a disadvantage, especially when your opponent isn't going to reveal much, either.

All that being said, you can use context clues to read the room to get a feel for how things are trending for a certain player. During his Oklahoma State game preview press conference on Friday, the West Virginia head coach was asked about the statuses of Jayden Stone, Tucker DeVries, and Amani Hansberry.

“I think everybody is getting closer. We’re doing everything we can to get everybody back on the floor as soon as possible.”

He was asked a follow-up and just smiled and once again said, "I think everybody is getting closer."

Now, does this mean all three will be in uniform this afternoon versus Oklahoma State? It's possible. It's been a month since Tucker DeVries played in a game, and there was some belief he'd be back for the Kansas game. Hansberry's ankle injury wasn't considered to be serious, and with it being nearly two weeks since the injury occurred, you'd have to assume he is close.

And then you have the mysterious case of Jayden Stone, who has yet to appear in a game this season. He suffered an undisclosed injury before the start of the season, and very little information has been revealed about his situation. He did, however, go through pregame warmups at Kansas, signifying that a return is near.

In 26 games last season at Detroit Mercy, Stone averaged 20.8 points per game.

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