Javon Small, WVU prepared for upset darling Colorado then a run in NCAA tourney

MORGANTOWN — Before there was jubilation felt after upsetting Gonzaga and before the historic feeling that came with West Virginia’s road win at Kansas, there was the meeting.

In part, it was a getting-to-know-you type of meeting, as 16 WVU players who had never met came together over the summer.

Javon Small remembers making one very specific point in that get together:

“That I’ve never been to the NCAA tournament and we’re going to make it,” the WVU senior guard recalled. 

What followed was a season filled with determination, surpassing many expectations along the way.

WVU STATS

“I do want to say how proud I am of this team,” Small said. “We came in here with a whole new team and different faces. Everybody was new. Everybody probably expected us to win no more than 13 games.”

No one from the outside looking in expected that win against Gonzaga at the Battle 4 Atlantis. No one expected that first-ever road win at Allen Fieldhouse against the Jayhawks.

And when you consider that WVU (19-12) began the season with a roster built mostly with players who had never played at the Power Five level before with a first-year coach who had never directed a team outside the mid-major level, these Mountaineers were pure long shots.

That is no longer the case, as the eighth-seeded Mountaineers will walk into the T-Mobile Center at 3 p.m. Wednesday to face 16th-seeded Colorado (13-19) in the second round of the Big 12 tournament having already met Small’s preseason goal set in that initial team meeting.

Colorado upset ninth-seeded TCU on Tuesday, 69-67.

“We made the NCAA tournament. Nobody expected us to do that,” Small said. “Even now, I’m sure people expect us to go into the NCAA tournament and lose in the first round. That’s not going to happen. We know how important our job is. Nobody expected us to be where we are now.”

Where the Mountaineers are currently is off the NCAA tournament bubble and in position to do some pretty cool things, and maybe extend a pretty good story along the way.

One more win would give WVU its first 20-win season since the 2019-20 campaign. One victory would put the Mountaineers in the Big 12 quarterfinals for the first time since 2023.

“We’re basically facing everything we’ve already seen this season,” Small said. “We just need to go into the conference tournament with some confidence and believe that we can win.”

Small, who was named an all-Big 12 first teamer on Monday, is the major force behind that belief. He’s tied for the league’s lead in scoring at 18.5 points per game, but his importance goes well beyond the points.

“I hope people really appreciate the season he had,” WVU head coach Darian DeVries said. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and I can only name probably two or three guys that have had a season like this, where he had to do so much, as well, on top of it.”

The drive and determination from Small kept WVU going even after sharpshooter Tucker DeVries went down to a shoulder injury just eight games into the season.

Other injuries followed. Amani Hansberry missed some time, as did backup guard K.J. Tenner.

Small, himself, battled a sore ankle late in the regular season, but continued to play through the pain.

Important wins continued to pile up, as did some frustrating losses. As the season played out, it was a true roller coaster ride, but Small refused to let anyone off it.

“He’s a terrific young player, and I’ve seen him now for four straight years,” UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said. “Love his game. The thing I’ve enjoyed most is watching him continue to improve every year. I think he’s gotten better every year I’ve watched him play.

“It says a lot about his work ethic and it shows out there on the floor, but really, it’s hard to stop a young man like Small. So, you just hope to contain him.”

Colorado wasn’t able to contain Small in its meeting with WVU in the regular season. In a 78-70 road win by the Mountaineers, Small had 26 points and seven assists. He hit four 3-pointers and also went 10 of 12 from the foul line.

This meeting will decide who will advance to play top-seeded Houston at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Advancing is all Small has on his mind at the moment.

“I’ve never played in the NCAA tournament,” Small said. “I’ve only played one game in the Big 12 tournament. I haven’t played in many postseason games. Now that we’re in it, I want to win the whole thing.”