Wins and losses are important. This is a results-oriented business, and if you don't consistently achieve successful results, you will find yourself out of work.
New West Virginia men's basketball coach Darian DeVries understands that, but he also realizes that you have to have the right people in your building and on your roster to have continued success. Making the NCAA Tournament in year one would be a great start, but if you don't get the culture right, it doesn't mean much for future years.
“From a wins and losses standpoint, I don't think you can go into it and say we're going to do this or that,” DeVries said in his introductory news conference. “I think wins and losses, we want them to be more winning next year, but it still has to be about the process and making sure we don't sacrifice that to bring in players that aren't the right fit.” Ours or not match what we want to build this software.
“If it works out in this way that we can have as much success as possible and compete at the top, that's great. But we're not going to sacrifice anything from a cultural standpoint in any way in terms of just filling out the roster. We're going to find the right people who want to They be here, they want to be at West Virginia, they want to be part of the winning culture, the team culture. At the end of the day, I believe those wins will come. “I hope they come sooner rather than later.”
What does this mean exactly?
Well, the roster is going to get an overhaul and if the scenario plays out where they have 10-11 guys on scholarship and feel good about the core of that group, they won't just sign people for the sake of the number. It must make sense of both And Off the field.
Since West Virginia only has one player (G Carmelo Adkins) signed from the high school ranks, this will be a roster made up mostly of transfers. DeVries and his staff have to be careful about how they put a roster together this year because anyone who arrives in the portal will be part of what high school recruits consider the culture. Is it a group of tough, brave, and selfless gym rats who stand up for the vision? If so, that in itself is a huge win for DeVries. This will help make pitching to recruits easier.
“There's an incredible tradition here. There's a great history here. There's a lot to sell. An incredible fan base, passion. There's a lot about this program that sells itself. It's an easy sell. People are interested, they want to be a part of this and they love our style of play.” “
