A phrase often championed by West Virginia University supporters -- “Once a Mountaineer, Always a Mountaineer" -- certainly has taken on, at the very least, a new meaning in this new era of collegiate athletics.
With the NCAA transfer portal having a significant impact on teams all throughout the country, the West Virginia football and basketball programs have experienced more than their fair share of coaching staff and roster turnover.
As new West Virginia Head Coach Ross Hodge prepares for the 2025-26 basketball season, let’s take a look at those who spent the past season with the WVU men's basketball program who have already found a new home less than a month after the conclusion of the team’s season.
Who is heading where?
Head Coach Darian DeVries - Indiana
After just one year leading the men’s basketball program, Coach DeVries has accepted the head coaching job at Indiana University.
"[Indiana] is dream job for anyone, but especially someone growing up in the Midwest, watching the old Big 8 and Big Ten,” said DeVries during his introductory press conference in Bloomington.
DeVries had spent the previous six seasons as the head coach at Drake where he engineered 6 consecutive 20+ win seasons. In what was a better-than-expected season for the Mountaineers, DeVries garnered enough national interest to land the Indiana job, a program that has been no more nationally relevant than WVU has this century but is historically considered a "prestige" or "blue-blood" program.
Associate Head Coach Chester Frazier - Virginia Tech
After one season as the Associate Head Coach of the Mountaineers, Chester Frazier has accepted the same role within the Virginia Tech program. Frazier, a former player and assistant at Illinois, will now serve alongside head coach Mike Young with the Hokies.
Assistant Coach Kory Barnett - Oral Roberts
Kory Barnett landed himself his first-ever head coaching job due to his time with DeVries in Morgantown, getting hired for the role at Oral Roberts after over a decade serving as a staffer and assistant coach at the Division 1 level.
“His career includes five Sweet 16s, multiple conference championships, and he has developed and recruited over 20 NBA players," Oral Roberts Athletic Director Tim Johnson said.
Tucker DeVries - Indiana
14.9 PPG | 4.9 RPG | 2.8 APG | 47% 3-Point Percentage |
DeVries will be following his dad and joining the Hoosiers for his final season of eligibility. Due to his shoulder injury suffered with the Mountaineers and playing just eight games, DeVries will receive a medical redshirt granting him eligibility in Bloomington.
Amani Hansberry - Virginia Tech
9.8 PPG | 6.5 RPG | 29% 3-Point Percentage
Chester Frazier accepting the assistant head coaching job in Morgantown was the primary contributor to the team landing Amani Hansberry, as he and Frazier spent the previous season together with Illinois. Now, Frazier’s departure is the primary contributor to Hansberry’s decision to become a Hokie.
You have to think that, had Frazier been promoted to the head coaching position, Hansberry might have stayed put with the Mountaineers.
Sencire Harris - Cincinnati
5.9 PPG | 4.3 RPG | 1.6 APG | 1.7 SPG
Speaking of Mountaineers who might have stayed put if Frazier were promoted to head coach, fellow starter Sencire Harris may very well be on that list as well. Like Hansberry, Harris followed Frazier to Morgantown coming from Illinois. Harris will remain in the Big 12, but finds himself joining the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Harris is an elite defender, being named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team for the 2024-25 season. The primary concern with Harris is his ability to make shots from downtown. On 1.7 attempts per game, he made only an alarming 11.3 percent of his threes. Interestingly enough, Harris will be joining former Mountaineer Kerr Kriisa in Cincinnati, who is transferring after one year at Kentucky.
Jonathan Powell - North Carolina
8.3 PPG | 3.1 RPG | 35.2% 3-Point Percentage
After the season-ending injury to starter Tucker DeVries, Powell would be asked to play a much bigger role for the Mountaineers. He was inserted into the starting lineup and was a significant contributor for WVU all throughout conference play.
In 20 regular season Big 12 contests, Powell reached double-figure scoring nine times. On the season, Powell knocked down 64 triples to lead all Big 12 freshmen. North Carolina will certainly look to utilize the rising sophomore as a knockdown shooter from beyond the arc.
KJ Tenner - Murray State
2.4 PPG | 1.1 APG
Not originally recruited by the Mountaineers, KJ Tenner followed Darian DeVries to Morgantown after being recruited by the head coach during his time at Drake.
While Tenner had his moments of contribution, he never really panned out and will be much better suited to contribute at Murray State of the Missouri Valley Conference. The undersized guard was at a pretty significant disadvantage in the Big 12 due in part to his inability to both take and make three-point buckets.
Toward the season’s end, the scouting report of opposing defenses was clearly to leave Tenner open from beyond the arc, as he often refused to shoot the ball.
One Thing In Common
All eight of the former Mountaineers listed above have something in common -- they spent just one season in Morgantown. In the ever-changing landscape of college basketball, coaching staff and roster turnover year-by-year has become the norm.