The giant success story of the West Virginia men’s basketball program in the 2024-25 season has brought smiles to the faces of Mountaineer fans everywhere. As the iconic Tony Caridi states in his signature call, "it's a great day to be a Mountaineer, wherever you may be."
Rather, it has been a great season to watch the Mountaineers wherever you may be. Fresh off of their 64-57 win against the 2nd-ranked Iowa State Cyclones, the buzz is continuing to build around the Mountaineer basketball program and the great season that they are having. The win over Iowa State was WVU’s third win over teams ranked inside the Top 10 following victories over Gonzaga and Kansas earlier this season.
The coaching staff led by Darian DeVries and the collection of players for WVU deserve all the credit for the success that they have been able to have, but no one has been more impressive than senior point guard, Javon Small. Small’s play has led to him receiving attention for both Big 12 and national honors, and rightfully so -- Javon Small may very well be playing like the best point guard in the entire country as he has led WVU to a 13-4 (4-2) record thus far. Head Coach Darian DeVries didn’t mince words postgame when discussing Small.
"He's the best guard in the country, he's something special," DeVries told the media.
The truth is, Javon Small didn’t just get it done against #2 Iowa State, he’s been playing at a very high level all season. Over 17 games, Small averages 19.4 points, 5.2 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game. -- he leads the team in points, assists, and steals per game.
He had a 31-point performance in the Battle 4 Atlantis against the then-3rd-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs. He scored 26 in a win against power conference opponent Georgetown.
His 13-point, 11-rebound, 6-assist performance against Kansas was crucial in leading to WVU’s first-ever win at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.
He also managed 26 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds in a win on the road at Colorado. Then less than a week later, he racked up 27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals against Iowa State and one of the premier on-ball defenders in the country, Tamin Lipsey.
To make his performance even more impressive, Small has been doing all this without his running mate and the team's second leading scorer per game, Tucker DeVries, who has not played since December 6th due to an upper-body injury. DeVries was averaging nearly 15 points per game. Without DeVries, Small has had to carry most of the offensive load and has led the Mountaineers to an impressive 4-2 start in conference play, already with wins over Kansas and Iowa State. Small ranks 1st in the Big 12 in points per game, 4th in assists, and 8th in steals. On top of that, he is 5th in the Big 12 in rebounding for guards.
At this point, the appropriate questions to ask is this: is Javon Small the best point guard in the country, and who was the last Mountaineer to have such an incredible season in the old-gold-and-blue?