Top 3 West Virginia players to watch out for in 2024-25 college basketball season ft. Tucker DeVries

Darian DeVries was hired as the new coach of West Virginia in March to replace interim coach Josh Eilert. He will be responsible for leading the program back to health as it recorded a school record of 23 losses last season.

Luckily, Darian saw a similar scenario when he arrived at Drake in 2018 after the program’s six losing seasons. He was their fourth coach in less than 18 months and spearheaded them to a 150-55 record alongside a school record of 28-7. With that, let us look at 3 key players that could emerge out of West Virginia’s lineup this season.

West Virginia players to watch in 2024-25 college basketball season

#3. Jake Auer

Despite the inclusion of Mountaineer football safety Aden Tagaloa-Nelson, Jake Auer might be the most exciting player on West Virginia’s roster. He makes the team after having played 4 years of Division II basketball with Rockhurst. As an invited walk-on, he averaged 10.1 points and 2.4 rebounds last season, while scoring a career-high of 25 points.

The most impressive part of Auer's game though is his 42% three-point shooting. Apart from being named to the all-conference first team, he was also named to the conference second team for his efforts in baseball.

#2. Jayden Stone

The Detroit Mercy Titans transfer is a two-guard with natural scoring instincts and great range. He can score with either hand, use his athleticism well for a guard, and potentially be a lockdown defender. Jayden Stone averaged 20.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 steals last season while making 42.2% of his shots.

He can be a great complimentary piece for West Virginia as he made more than 50% of low-volume threes in 2023. Being surrounded by experienced veterans this season, Stone has a strong chance to elevate his game even in a secondary role.

#1. Tucker DeVries

The two-time Missouri Valley Conference player is joining his father with the Mountaineers after leading Drake with averages of 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals. He was under several NBA scouts’ eyes during his sophomore but decided to stay with Drake to generate his best collegiate season and spearhead them to a second consecutive NCAA bid.

Despite being the opposing defense's main target, DeVries still shot 36.3% from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-7 wing can get buckets in a variety of ways and has the potential to be a dependable three-level scorer. He is also a great distributor who understands the layers of making things easy for his teammates.