Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)

[Deuce2223]

Re: Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)

So sad. Looks like the Vol's own UCLA..


I am watching WVU and Georgetown IRL play in the NIT, so atleast you can be proud you took your team too the Final 4.

[pfeifere1]

Re: Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)



A great season Coach Frizzell.

Sorry for the loss.

[whughes]

Re: Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)

Tennessee seems to be pretty overpowered. Back to back championships is something you hardly ever see in any sport. Congrats on the great season though coach, looking forward to next year!

[superjames1992]

Re: Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)

Just looking at the team totals, it's hard to believe you lost that game other than not shooting as well.

Yeah, I guess free throws, the lack of shooting, and the fact that we were outclassed on the boards was the only real thing that nagged us. You'd think that with 21 UCLA turnovers, we could have done better, but apparently not. Oh well, they were a great team... one of those 11-loss teams that has one of the best ratings in the nation. I believe they were a 94 OVR team.

Sorry to see such a strong season not culminate in a championship.

Yeah, it kind of sucks, but oh well. The team should be better next season, though losing Len Shields will hurt some.

So sad. Looks like the Vol's own UCLA..


I am watching WVU and Georgetown IRL play in the NIT, so atleast you can be proud you took your team too the Final 4.

The Vols own everyone, LOL...

Yeah, WVU had a tough time last night in that loss to the Hoyas. It seemed to be going quite well in the first half, but things took a turn for the worst in the second half. At least NC State won against Xavier in the First Four.

A great season Coach Frizzell.

Sorry for the loss.

Thanks!

Tennessee seems to be pretty overpowered. Back to back championships is something you hardly ever see in any sport. Congrats on the great season though coach, looking forward to next year!

Yeah, they're ridiculous. I think they're a 97 OVR (and improve to 100 OVR when playing against them in-game). I think every starter was rated 90 OVR or better. It's crazy. Plus, they're almost all seniors.

The good news is that they are going to lose almost everyone next year, so their two-year reign as the best team in college basketball should be ending.

[superjames1992]

POST-SEASON AWARDS

National Awards

National Champions - Tennessee Volunteers (36-5, 14-2 SEC)
NIT Champions - St. John's Red Storm (24-14, 9-9 Big East)
National Coach of the Year - Bruce Pearl (Tennessee)
National Player of the Year - Roger Holmes (Missouri)
Mid-Major Player of the Year - Emmanuel Weber (Pepperdine)
National Defensive Player of the Year - Tre Welch (West Virginia)
Big Man of the Year - Roger Holmes (Missouri)
National Freshman of the Year - Edward Osborn (Oregon State)

Big East Awards

Big East Regular Season Champions - West Virginia Mountaineers (35-3, 17-1 Big East)
Big East Tournament Champions - West Virginia Mountaineers (35-3, 17-1 Big East)
Big East Coach of the Year - James Frizzell (West Virginia)
Big East Player of the Year - Marc Coulter (South Florida)
Big East Freshman of the Year - Taurean Chan (Pittsburgh)

West Virginia 2025-2026 Recap

Record - 35-3 (17-1 Big East)
NCAA Tournament - Final Four
National Defensive Player of the Year - Tre Welch
Conference Coach of the Year - James Frizzell
First Team All-Conference -D.C. Montgomery
Second Team All-Conference - Anderson Black, Len Shields

Starters
PG #25 Anderson Black 5'11 191 (Tuscon, AZ) 84 overall JR
SG #35 Leandro Summers 6'4 189 (Trenton, NJ) 85 overall SO
SF #21 D.C. Montgomery 6'6 216 (Queens, NY) 86 overall SO
PF #54 Len Shields 7'0 234 (Brooklyn, NY) 83 overall SR
C #44 Tre Welch 7'0 219 (Bloomington, MN) 82 overall SO

Bench
PG #20 Waitari Trammell 5'10 168 (Richmond, VA) 80 overall FR
SG #12 Bobby Dux 6'6 231 (Green Bay, WI) 82 overall SO
SG #23 R.J. Peterson 6'2 195 (Virginia Beach, VA) 78 overall FR
SG #10 Sam Lang 6'7 215 (Australia) 77 overall JR
SF #31 Jud Helms 6'8 231 (Queens, NY) 85 overall JR
PF #45 Gerrod Grizzard 6'8 258 (Baltimore, MD) 82 overall SR
PF #40 Leemire Gary 6'9 236 (Washington, D.C.) 79 overall SO

Reserves
SG #4 Nathan Holcomb 6'3 184 78 overall FR (Redshirting)
SF #34 Deno Woodards 6'6 219 (St. Paul, MN) 79 overall FR (Redshirting)
SF #24 Gregg O'Neil 6'9 251 (Victoria, TX) 78 overall SR
PF #53 Sambra Coly 6'8 209 (Senegal) 67 overall FR (W) (Redshirting)

Coaches
James Frizzell: A overall (19th year)
Brad Huse: B overall (7th year)
Jarrett Felton: B overall (7th year)

Individual Statistics:

Player                 GP  PT/G  R/G  A/G  S/G  B/G   M/G    FG%   3P%   FT%
D.C. Montgomery        38  16.8  4.3  2.4  1.8  0.4   28.1  .427  .447  .791
Len Shields            38  14.6  8.2  1.3  1.4  1.2   29.0  .525  .250  .756
Leandro Summers        38   8.9  2.4  1.8  1.5  0.3   27.8  .399  .374  .776
Anderson Black         38   8.8  2.7  5.5  2.6  0.0   28.3  .433  .359  .666
Tre Welch              38   8.8  8.8  1.4  1.5  1.9   29.7  .467  .250  .770
Jud Helms              38   5.4  2.5  0.8  0.8  0.1   12.7  .517  .509  .695
Waitari Trammell       38   4.1  0.9  2.1  1.2  0.0   11.3  .424  .365  .872
Bobby Dux              33   3.9  0.8  0.5  0.3  0.0    8.4  .450  .433  .777
R.J. Peterson          36   3.9  0.7  0.4  0.4  0.0    7.7  .419  .464  .700
Gerrod Grizzard        38   3.7  4.2  0.8  0.6  0.5   14.7  .444  .166  .794
Sam Lang               15   0.9  0.5  0.3  0.5  0.0    3.5  .190  .090  1.00
Leemire Gary           17   0.6  1.5  0.0  0.4  0.2    5.3  .250   ---  1.00

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL                      78.8 36.2 17.1 12.3  4.6         .451  .401  .763

Coaching Statistics:

Coaching Record:
 
Season     School         Record     NCAA Tournament Results
2007-2008  Princeton       18-11     N/A
2008-2009  Princeton       21-9      First Round (#12 Seed)
2009-2010  Princeton       25-9      Sweet Sixteen (#9 Seed)
2010-2011  Princeton       22-8      First Round (#8 Seed)
2011-2012  Princeton       26-6      Second Round (#8 Seed)
2012-2013  Princeton       32-5      Final Four (#3 Seed)
2013-2014  Princeton       25-7      First Round (#12 Seed)
2014-2015  Princeton       31-4      Second Round (#3 Seed)
2015-2016  Princeton       31-5      Elite Eight (#3 Seed)
2016-2017  San Francisco   20-15     First Round (#12 Seed)
2017-2018  San Francisco   33-6      Final Four (#3 Seed)
2018-2019  San Francisco   35-5      Championship Game (#3 Seed)
2019-2020  West Virginia   24-12     Sweet Sixteen (#6 Seed)
2020-2021  West Virginia   29-9      National Champions (#5 Seed)
2021-2022  West Virginia   28-8      Second Round (#2 Seed)
2022-2023  West Virginia   25-11     Elite Eight (#7 Seed)
2023-2024  West Virginia   24-11     Second Round (#5 Seed)
2024-2025  West Virginia   29-13     Elite Eight (#6 Seed)
2025-2026  West Virginia   35-3      Final Four (#1 Seed)
----------------------------------------------------------------
19 years                  513-157

NCAA Tournament Record: 40-17
NIT Record: 0-0
Ivy League Conference Record: 114-12
WCC Conference Record: 30-12
Big East Conference Record: 82-43


Ratings
Offense: A+
Defense: A+
Teaching: A+
Scouting: C+
Charisma: A+
Discipline: B+
Overall: A


Achievements
Regular Season Championships: 11
Conference Tournament Championships: 5
NCAA Tournaments: 18
NCAA Sweet Sixteens: 10
NCAA Elite Eights: 8
NCAA Final Fours: 5
NCAA Championships: 1
Preseason #1 Rankings: 0
20 Win Seasons: 18
30 Win Seasons: 6
Conference Coach of the Year: 14
National Coach of the Year: 1
All-Conference Players: 52
All-American Players: 6
National Players of the Year: 0
Pro Draftees: 6


Goals Reached
Sign a Four Star Recruit
Sign a Five Star Recruit
Sign a Five Star Recruit in Season
Sign a World Recruit
Sign a High School All-American
Sign the Mr. Basketball From Your State
Assemble a Top 20 Recruiting Class
Go an Entire Season With No Unhappy Players
Have a Player Chosen Freshman All-Conference
Have a Player Chosen All-Conference
Coach a Conference Player of the Year
Coach an NCAA All-American
Have a Player Chosen in the Pro Draft
Have an Underclassman Chosen in the Pro Draft
Coach a Team to a Winning Record
Coach a Team to 10 Wins
Coach a Team to 20 Wins
Win a Non-Conference Tournament
Upset the #1-Ranked Team
Coach a Team into the Top 25
Coach a Team to the #1 Ranking
Coach a Team to a Conference Championship
Coach a Team to an NCAA Tournament Bid
Coach a Team to the Sweet Sixteen
Coach a Team to the Final Four
Coach a Team to the NCAA Championship
Coach a Team to a #1 Seed in the NCAA Tournament
Be Chosen Conference Coach of the Year
Be Chosen NCAA Coach of the Year
Get Hired by a Larger Conference Team
Get Hired by a Power Conference Team
Get 5,000 Legacy Points in One Season
Accumulate 200 Career Wins
Accumulate 500 Career Wins

Goals Not Yet Reached
Sign the Top Recruit in a Recruiting Class
Assemble the Top Recruiting Class
Coach a Player of the Year Award Winner
Coach a 2K Sports Award Winner
Get a Lifetime Contract With Any Team
Get 200,000 Legacy Points in Your Career
Accumulate 800 Career Wins
Accumulate 900 Career Wins

Players Leaving:
PF #54 Len Shields 7'0 234 (Brooklyn, NY) 83 overall SR - Graduating
PF #45 Gerrod Grizzard 6'8 258 (Baltimore, MD) 82 overall SR - Graduating
PF #40 Leemire Gary 6'9 236 (Washington, D.C.) 79 overall SO - Transferring
SF #24 Gregg O'Neil 6'9 251 (Victoria, TX) 78 overall SR - Graduating

[Deuce2223]

Re: Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)

Seems weird Gary would transfer when based off the look of the roster he was in line for the starting PF job next year.

Does DC Montgomery rebound well enough at 6'6 to be able to handle the 4 spot and allow a guard to join the lineup at the 3. Maybe run a little Princeton style offense with 4 guards?

[superjames1992]

Re: Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)

Seems weird Gary would transfer when based off the look of the roster he was in line for the starting PF job next year.

Does DC Montgomery rebound well enough at 6'6 to be able to handle the 4 spot and allow a guard to join the lineup at the 3. Maybe run a little Princeton style offense with 4 guards?

Yeah, I guess he was pissed that I never gave him much playing time, instead generally opting for a three-man rotation for the PF/C spots (with Len Shields, Tre Welch, and Gerrod Grizzard getting almost all the minutes), but he would have gotten playing time this year. Oh, well.

As far as the PF spot, I plan on keeping Montgomery where he is. However, my plan is to bring Jud Helms into the starting lineup as the PF spot. I used him a little there last year with decent success. He's 6'8", so he's a little taller and should be able to handle the position well. He also has some quickness and ball-handling skills, so he might present a mismatch. As you will see in the next update, I also bring in some help down low through recruiting.

[superjames1992]

2026 Recruiting Class

With three scholarships available for the 2026 recruiting class, WVU head coach James Frizzell made good use of them. Frizzell used all three scholarships to fill the hole that had developed in the frontcourt as a result of Len Shields' and Gerrod Grizzard's graduations and Leemire Gary's decision to transfer.

Nile Stevenson headlines the class. The 6'10", 230-lb. power forward is ranked #68 overall and was the 10th-ranked power forward in the 2026 recruiting class. He hails from Sioux Falls, where he was Iowa's Mr. Basketball. Stevenson has good size and is known for his defense and rebounding abilities. It is possible he could challenge for a starting job right away with Len Shields graduating.

Lionel Darden is another Mr. Basketball holder as he was awarded the honor in Iowa. Darden is from Ames, IA and is ranked as the #98 recruit in the 2026 class and #21 at power forward. Darden is undersized at only 6'5", but is a good all-around player. He could see minutes at small forward as he's quite versatile.

Louis Bermudez was a late addition to the class. Burmudez was not ranked in the national polls, but he is a three-star recruit from Puerto Rico. Like Stevenson, he brings size to the table at 6'10". He is a bit of a wildcard, but seems to have a decent upside potential.

WVU's 2026 recruiting class ranks 36th in the country. Virginia Tech's class ranks #1.

Signed Recruits:
1. Nile Stevenson 6'10 230 (Sioux Falls, SD - #68 overall, #10 PF) 4* - Mr. Basketball
2. Lionel Darden 6'5 200 (Ames, IA - #98 overall, #21 PF) 4* - Mr. Basketball
3. Louis Bermudez 6'10 234 (Puerto Rico - NR overall, NR C) 3*

[Deuce2223]

Re: Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)

Very nice job with recruiting. Landed some impact players. Wish I could figure out how to do that at GU. So far I have lucked out and got some nice role pieces that have fit together to build a winner, but no real star.

[superjames1992]

Re: Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)

Very nice job with recruiting. Landed some impact players. Wish I could figure out how to do that at GU. So far I have lucked out and got some nice role pieces that have fit together to build a winner, but no real star.

Nile Stevenson looks like a real nice find. He'll probably be starting at PF after next year when Jud Helms graduates.

Darden has good skills, but I truly have to wonder if he'll be useful being so short. I could convert him to an SF, but his shooting is subpar for a wing player and I like to shoot threes with my SFs, so that wouldn't work out too well, either. We'll see. Height means a lot in this game (too much, IMO).

Burmudez looks to be redshirted next year, but he could be a valuable bench contributor down the road.

[superjames1992]

2026-2027 West Virginia Roster

Starters
PG #25 Anderson Black 5'11 197 (Tuscon, AZ) 85 overall SR
SG #35 Leandro Summers 6'5 197 (Trenton, NJ) 86 overall JR
SF #21 D.C. Montgomery 6'6 216 (Queens, NY) 87 overall JR
PF #31 Jud Helms 6'8 243 (Queens, NY) 86 overall SR
C #44 Tre Welch 7'0 219 (Bloomington, MN) 83 overall JR

Bench
PG #20 Waitari Trammell 5'10 173 (Richmond, VA) 81 overall SO
SG #12 Bobby Dux 6'7 233 (Green Bay, WI) 83 overall JR
SG #23 R.J. Peterson 6'2 197 (Virginia Beach, VA) 79 overall SO
SG #4 Nathan Holcomb 6'3 186 78 overall SO
SF #34 Deno Woodards 6'7 221 (St. Paul, MN) 79 overall FR
PF #55 Nile Stevenson 6'10 239 (Sioux Falls, SD) 77 overall FR
PF #41 Lionel Darden 6'6 204 (Ames, IA) 77 overall FR

Reserves
SG #10 Sam Lang 6'7 215 (Australia) 78 overall SR
PF #53 Sambra Coly 6'9 219 (Senegal) 67 overall FR
C #50 Kason Warzynski 6'11 236 (Chicago, IL) 69 overall SO (Walk-on)
C #45 Louis Bermudez 6'10 236 (Puerto Rico) 66 overall FR (Redshirting)

Coaches
James Frizzell: A overall (20th year)
Brad Huse: B overall (8th year)
Jarrett Felton: B overall (8th year)

2026-2027 Big East Projected Standings

1. #3 West Virginia
2. Marquette
3. #8 Louisville
4. #18 Villanova
5. Pittsburgh
6. #22 Connecticut
7. Syracuse
8. #17 Notre Dame
9. South Florida
10. Cincinnati
11. Seton Hall
12. Rutgers
13. Georgetown
14. Providence
15. St. John's
16. DePaul

2026-2027 West Virginia Schedule

11/6 vs. Tennessee State
11/9 vs. #16 Fairfield (NIT Season Tip-Off A)
11/14 at #24 Alabama
11/17 vs. Harvard
11/28 vs. Yale
12/2 vs. Lehigh
12/6 at Texas A&M
12/13 vs. #4 Virginia Tech
12/26 vs. Rider
12/30 at DePaul
1/2 vs. Rutgers
1/6 at Marquette
1/8 vs. Marshall
1/10 vs. South Florida
1/13 at #22 Connecticut
1/16 at Syracuse
1/20 vs. Georgetown
1/23 at #17 Notre Dame
1/27 vs. #8 Louisville
1/30 at South Florida
2/3 vs. #18 Villanova
2/6 vs. Seton Hall
2/11 at Cincinnati
2/14 vs. Providence
2/20 at Pittsburgh
2/23 vs. St. John's
2/27 vs. DePaul
3/7 at #8 Louisville

Preseason Top 25 Poll

1. Texas Tech
2. Florida State
3. West Virginia
4. Virginia Tech
5. Duquesne
6. Georgia Tech
7. Washington State
8. Louisville
9. Clemson
10. UCLA
11. Oregon
12. Ohio State
13. Brigham Young
14. North Carolina State
15. Boston College
16. Fairfield
17. Notre Dame
18. Villanova
19. Stanford
20. Virginia
21. Oklahoma
22. Connecticut
23. Wake Forest
24. Alabama
25. Duke

[Deuce2223]

Re: Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)

So I have to ask why keep all 15 players on your roster? I tend to go with 10 active players and redshirt 2, but if I can land a high 60's walkon I will keep them around to to try and open up a a scholly down the the road for someone else.

Just seems like cutting Bermudez and Coly would've opened up 2 more scholarships giving you lots of options for when Montogomery,Summers, Welch and Dux graduate.


Your non-conference schedule looks a little easier this year. Looking forward to you opening round game against #16 Fairfield in the NIT Tip-Off.


Also love seeing WSU start in the Top-10. Surprised by the Duquesne at #5

[baccVols]

Re: Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)

Wow.bruce pearl....tough finish to the season.....good luck next year

[JJ4]

Re: Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)

Duke 25

[superjames1992]

Re: Coaching Legacy of James Frizzell (CH 2K8)

So I have to ask why keep all 15 players on your roster? I tend to go with 10 active players and redshirt 2, but if I can land a high 60's walkon I will keep them around to to try and open up a a scholly down the the road for someone else.

Just seems like cutting Bermudez and Coly would've opened up 2 more scholarships giving you lots of options for when Montogomery,Summers, Welch and Dux graduate.


Your non-conference schedule looks a little easier this year. Looking forward to you opening round game against #16 Fairfield in the NIT Tip-Off.


Also love seeing WSU start in the Top-10. Surprised by the Duquesne at #5

LOL, I can't really give you a reason why I don't cut guys. I've just never done it for whatever reason. I suppose it really makes sense to cut them, but we keep depth this way, even though we really don't need it considering we rarely have injuries in this game for some reason.

Duquesne has been really good in this legacy for some reason.

Wow.bruce pearl....tough finish to the season.....good luck next year

Yeah, Bruce is doing well.

Duke 25