MORGANTOWN — Tough, gritty and physical are all attributes associated with any Frank Martin-coached basketball team, and quite possibly to Martin, himself.
It’s a style that sees bodies diving on the floor for a loose ball, collisions around the rim going after rebounds and no one backs down from playing defense until the final second has ticked off the clock.
It’s also the kind of reputation Darian DeVries would like to build for his WVU men’s basketball program, which gets its first real test of the season at 7 p.m. Friday, when the Mountaineers host UMass, where Martin is beginning his third season.
Are these Mountaineers ready?
“We’re going to find out,” DeVries shoots back without hesitation.
The Minutemen (1-0) — old rivals from the Atlantic 10 days — are coming off a 103-74 victory against New Hampshire in which UMass collected 44 rebounds, stole the ball 13 times and held the Wildcats to under 38% shooting.
“They play the same way every year,” DeVries said. “They’re going to be tough. They’re going to be physical, and it’s the same way this year. We understand what the challenge is going to be. It’s going to be a great test for us to see if we can match that type of physicality.”
There are any number of ways to instill toughness into a team. DeVries told a story — when he was an assistant at Creighton — how the Bluejays once borrowed football helmets from Nebraska-Omaha and used them in practice.
“They might still have one of them in the storage unit,” DeVries said.
Which brings us to WVU (1-0), which was dominating defensively in its season-opening 87-59 victory against Robert Morris, beginning that game on a 21-0 run.
“I want our teams to be physical, so we’re going to do everything we can to be as physical as possible,” DeVries said. “We want that to be our identity. The way people talk about coach Martin’s teams, I want them to talk about our team that way.”
So far, WVU football coach Neal Brown hasn’t had to lend any equipment over to the basketball department, but making the Mountaineers a tough hoops team has been on DeVries’ to-do list since Day 1.
“When we (scrimmage) against each other and we’re competing, there’s no fouls called,” WVU freshman guard K.J. Tenner said. “We work on boxing out every day. Being fearless is what he instills in us every day. You know, don’t worry about the refs, just go out there and play and be physical and be strong.”
According to WVU’s roster, it is not a team filled with players who may one day think about a possible career change in the NFL as a linebacker or defensive end.
“We’re not the tallest team or the biggest,” said Tenner, who is listed at 6-foot and 166 pounds. “You have guys like me. I’m not the biggest, but you have to go out there and play like I’m 6-foot-5 and play strong and physical.”
And while a 6-5 guard or a Shaquille O’Neal-sized center would have an easier path to being a physical player, Tenner said playing tough is also in the mind.
“I believe so, especially on the defensive end,” he said. “I feel like if you want to guard somebody, it’s your mind set. Wanting to guard them or wanting to box out, it’s all a want-to, I believe. You can be 6-5, but I’m still going to box you out.
“I think it’s very much a mind-set thing. You can have all the intangibles, but if you don’t want to do it, you’re not going to do it.”
The Minutemen’s backcourt duo of Jaylen Curry and Rahsool Diggins will also be a challenge.
Diggins had 15 points in UMass’ 87-79 win against the Mountaineers last season. He scored 26 points on 8 of 16 from 3-point range to open this season.
Curry added nine points and 12 assists against New Hampshire.
“He can shoot it,” DeVries said of Curry. “He’s a good scorer, so we’ll have to do a good job on him and be aware of where he is. He’s a good player. He can really put it in the bucket.”
