On the eve of its 2023 debut in The Basketball Tournament, Best Virginia will spend Monday afternoon conducting an organized practice at Wheeling University.
It’s the final opportunity for 12 players, eight of which played college basketball at West Virginia University, to get familiar with one another ahead of Tuesday’s 7 p.m. matchup with Dubois Dream at nearby WesBanco Arena.
This marks Best Virginia’s fourth time as a TBT participant, and the squad has increased its win total by one in both appearances since finishing 1-1 in the 2019 inaugural showing.
This time around, although Best Virginia is the top seed in the West Virginia Regional, half of the team’s 12 players will be making their debut on a team looking for six wins and the $1 million grand prize awarded to the champion.
“There’s no selfish players out here,” said forward Kevin Jones, a member of Best Virginia on each of the three previous occasions. “Everybody wants to see everybody succeed, so I think that’s the biggest part of our success.”
Jones, forward John Flowers and guard Teyvon Myers are a trio of former Mountaineers with a wealth of Best Virginia experience, having been part of the team for every installment of TBT.
Former Mountaineers Nathan Adrian and Chase Harler, a pair of in-state natives, also have past experience with Best Virginia. So, too, does Jamel Morris, a left-handed guard who starred at Fairmont State and last week became a late addition to this year’s BV roster. Morris joins 6-foot-10 center Alex Gross and forwards Quincy Ford and Nathan Flowers (brother of John) as Best Virginia players that aren’t past West Virginia players.
A trio of former WVU guards, including two off last season’s team, are likely to play prominent roles in their TBT debuts as Kedrian Johnson, Erik Stevenson and Sean McNeil team with past Mountaineers in a quest to make a run into August.
“We’ve all been trained and coached under the same mindset,” Jones said, “so we all have the same mindset as far as defense and sharing the ball on offense.”
Each of the aforementioned players outside of Morris played at least one season of their collegiate career under Bob Huggins at West Virginia. Jones, Flowers, Myers, Harler, Adrian and Morris have all played in TBT under Best Virginia coach James Long, who will man the sidelines for a third straight year in TBT.
Myers, Harler and Adrian were teammates of Long during their WVU playing careers.
“James has done a great job preparing us. Every game, we’re not less prepared than the other team,” Jones said. “I’m definitely confident in his coaching skills. We just have to go out and execute the game plan. Each year, we’ve taken a step forward in the tournament and hopefully we can take the biggest step and that’s winning the $1 million.”
While Jones and Flowers are more than a decade removed from finishing their college careers, Stevenson, Johnson and McNeil only did so four months ago. Combining players from different eras isn’t uncommon for Best Virginia or most teams in TBT, and it’s part of what makes the annual event unique and intriguing.
Johnson and McNeil already had the luxury of playing alongside Myers, Jones, Flowers and older ex-WVU players Alex Ruoff, Esa Ahmad and Jonathan Holton in a 130-100 victory over College Park Boys during a July 15 Alumni Basketball League matchup at Fairmont State.
“They coached me throughout the game and throughout the practices. I’ve learned a lot about spacing, pace, control,” Johnson said. “That’s been a real plus to my game.”
McNeil, a Mountaineer for three seasons before transferring to Ohio State, is pleased to represent West Virginia again and reconnect with past teammates from his days in Morgantown.
“So good to see Keedy and play with him again,” McNeil said. “Chase is playing too, and I got to play with him [in college]. It’s a special bond here in Morgantown and such a special place. I’m so happy to be back. We had some success and got the win and when we start TBT, let’s keep it going.”