Best Virginia set for TBT opener with WoCo Showtime By
July 16, 2021 - 6:23 pm
Guards Juwan Staten (left) and Chase Harler will be in action Saturday for Best Virginia against WoCo Showtime in a first-round TBT matchup. Photo by Greg Carey/WVMetroNews.com
CHARLESTON, W.Va. The opening round of The Basketball Tournament (TBT) presents a unique set of challenges.
With little to no film of an opponent and a large element of unfamiliarity, teams are likely to focus on themselves as they try to advance in the quest to ultimately win the $1 million prize rewarded to the tournament champion.
“It’s different from college or professional where you have film on these guys,” said Best Virginia guard Chase Harler. “Almost everyone plays on different teams now and they’re coming back and playing on one team. It’s about showing up, being professionals, doing your job and playing hard.”
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Sagaba Konate pushes the ball upcourt
As West Virginia’s entry in The Basketball Tournament, the Best Virginia squad is a versatile group that appears to have a number of different combinations it could use to meet the challenges of different opponents and styles in the winner-take-all event that begins on Saturday, July 17. As always, offensive firepower, and the ability to make shots consistently, likely loom as the barrier between the starting gate and a deep run for BV, which holds a No. 2 seed in the West Virginia Regional.
While Best Virginia isn’t overly tall, it does have what appears to be a solid inside game with veteran Kevin Jones and roster newcomers Logan Routt and Sagaba Konate. In the team’s exhibition win in Beckley, Routt showed some newly developed offensive skills, especially on the pick-and-roll, and seems primed to be a player who can contribute on the offensive end.
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Best Virginia cruises in exhibition opener in Beckley By
July 7, 2021 - 9:16 pm
BECKLEY, W.Va. Best Virginia passed the first test on their pre-TBT schedule with ease, defeating Southern West Virginia Elite 127-122 in an exhibition game at the Beckley Raleigh County Convention Center. Best Virginia led 115-63 when the clock was stopped with four minutes left to simulate the ‘Elam Ending’. The score reset with Best Virginia trailing 119-115. After allowing an initial three-pointer, Best Virginia scored the final ten points to close out the game.
“Probably our best defensive possession (in the Elam Ending) was the first one and they hit a three,” said Best Virginia head coach James Long. “You play good defense but it was better offense. They understand now the magnitude of each possession. And the flow going into the Elam Ending, it was good to get that situation for our team.”
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