West Virginia Basketball: How the Mountaineers frustrated Trae Young
West Virginia got physical with Oklahoma’s star point guard Trae Young this past weekend and it worked. How can this play be replicated by others?
Trae Young scored 29 points on Saturday night, which is his season average. However, it was not enough to lead his Sooners to a victory. West Virginia defeated the Sooners 89-76 and did an excellent job of containing Young in the process.
“He still scored twenty-nine points, was the defense really that great?” This is a fair question to ask and here is my answer.
Great scorers find ways to get buckets no matter their obstacles. Young is a transcendent talent; there’s a reason he draws comparisons to Steph Curry. Turn your attention towards other stats from this game.
The Mountaineers forced Young to commit eight turnovers. Also, the star point guard’s 29 points came on inefficient shooting (8-22, 3-12 from beyond the arc). Young never established a good rhythm and was bothered by West Virginia’s aggressive defense throughout the game.
Mountaineers guard Jevon Carter was the main source of Young’s frustration. The physical Carter shadowed Young for much of the game and barely allowed him any room. Carter forced Young into several poor shots and careless turnovers.
Should the rest of the Big 12 adopt West Virginia’s approach when they play Oklahoma?
In theory, of course they should, but it’s not that simple. Mountaineers’ coach Bob Huggins focuses on a specific type of player when he recruits. West Virginia became “Press Virginia” because Huggins’ defensive strategy is to exhaust opponents with constant full-court pressure.
Carter is a perfect Huggins player in that he is relentless, quick, and strong. He uses his quickness to chase opponents the full length (and width) of the court. He uses his strength and relentless energy to frustrate and intimidate his opponents.
Not every coach seeks out players like Carter and his teammates, though. I would recommend trying to use multiple defenders on Young. Try guarding him with bigger, stronger players and then switch a faster player onto him for a bit. Switching it up might be able to frustrate him or at least cause him to make quick adjustments.
Another reason it’s not so simple to implement this model is because West Virginia deploys a unique defensive philosophy.
Most teams do not play a full-court press for the entire game because they don’t have the depth. Huggins is able to substitute interchangeable players when one becomes tired or gets into foul trouble. Like I said, he recruits specific types of players to West Virginia.
Some coaches only have confidence in seven or eight players on their rosters and limit their substitutions. On teams that have “short benches,” playing pressure defense for an entire game is unsustainable as the players will be fatigued and may foul out. Not every team can play like the Mountaineers for a full game.
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However, I think Big 12 coaches should consider implementing a part-time full-court press when they face Oklahoma. In addition to switching up the personnel against Young, it’s also important to present him with many different defensive looks.
No coach may find a way to truly shut down Young all season. But Huggins and his Mountaineers gave the rest of the country a glimpse at how to frustrate and contain him.