How No. 14 West Virginia and Jordan Harrison are clicking as Big 12 season looms

Energetic 5’6 junior guard Jordan Harrison relaxed against the wall outside of the locker room as the succulent scent of fried chicken wafted through the air and members of the West Virginia traveling party fixed their postgame meals on white paper plates. With her arms crossed and a satisfied smile across her face, she reflected on how their loss to the Hawkeyes has fueled their motivation this season.

“After playing Iowa as close as we did on the road in that environment, our team got a lot of confidence from that game, knowing that we could play with anybody, anywhere,” Harrison told The Next postgame following a 68-46 victory over Temple at the Liacouras Center on Sunday, Dec. 15. “I think most importantly, we got a lot of confidence out of that game, and it allowed us to believe in ourselves a little bit more, knowing that we could play through adversity well. So that carried over to this year.”

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Through 11 games, the 14th-ranked Mountaineers are better, deeper, stronger, versatile, and more resilient under second-year head coach Mark Kellogg. West Virginia is 10-1 overall as it prepares to start Big 12 competition this weekend against Colorado. The Mountaineers are a fully functioning machine on both ends of the floor.

While the offense wasn’t sharp against Temple, they still found a way to enjoy a comfortable road victory over the reigning American Athletic Conference co-champions. It was West Virginia’s first true road contest of the season and Kellogg saw everything he needed to see from his team.

“We don’t want to just be about winning because we turn people over,” Kellogg told reporters in a postgame press conference. “We want to be able … to grind out a game and have the toughness to be able to do that especially when you get on the road and you may not make shots like we didn’t for most of that game. You got to find ways. You got to learn to appreciate effort and coming on the road doing something against a quality team … This group just plays hard, they compete, they don’t really care who kind of gets the recognition.”

Harrison is one reason why the Mountaineers have improved this season. She’s enjoying a career year of averaging 15.4 points, which is two points better than last season. Harrison is the engine powering West Virginia’s attack. She’s speaking up more, leading by example, causing havoc on defense and knocking down timely shots.

This proved to be Harrison’s most important summer as she enhanced areas of her game with the help of those who believed in her.

“My coaches and dad talked to me a lot,” Harrison said. “He analyzes my game very well all the time. Talking to my coaches and talking to him, they were able to help me improve on those little things that I needed to work on to become better, which were being consistent and aggressive, leading my team, and being more of a vocal leader … Last year, sometimes I probably turned down some shots I could have taken.”

Individually, Harrison’s effective field goal percentage is higher this season at 57.3%, according to Her Hoop Stats. Her effective field goal percentage last season was 52.7%. According to CBB analytics, she’s taken 62% of her shots at the rim this season. Harrison has scored in double figures eight times this season and has had four games with at least 20 points.

Even more impressive, Harrison averages 5.2 assists per game after handing out seven against Temple. This was her fourth straight contest and eighth game this season in which she dished at least five assists. Harrison, named to the preseason Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Watch List, added seven rebounds and 11 points to go along with her assists.

“I call her the head of the snake because she makes us go,” Kellogg told reporters. “We have a lot of two-way players. Like they can play on the offensive end, they play on the defensive end. She’s elite on both. She talks a little bit more. If there’s a huddle, you hear Jordan Harrison’s voice now; she’s taken ownership of it. There are times I might want to make a call, and she’s already made it.

“She’s been with me her whole career, so this is about time she should take the reins and run with it. She’s a complete and talented player. She’s a little undersized for some people but pretty dynamic for us.”

That second-round loss to Iowa has fueled the Mountaineers all summer, especially Harrison, who has the luxury of sharing the backcourt with the dynamic 5’8 senior guard Ja’Naiya Quinerly. They spent much time in the gym improving their game and preparing for a second year of working together in the backcourt. Quinerly is still rounding into form after missing the East Tennessee State game on Dec. 6 after suffering a wrist injury.

Harrison, who played her freshman year at Stephen F. Austin with Kellogg, knew that each repetition demanded more. That details mattered and the small things would be the difference between advancing further in the NCAA tournament, accomplishing all of their goals this season and ending the season earlier than anticipated. Mentally is where the biggest growth occurred for Harrison.

“I shifted my mindset this year, being more aggressive, not really like changing mechanics or anything,” Harrison said. “It was really just a mindset thing for me. And once I changed my mindset, everything else worked for itself. I was in the gym a lot, don’t get me wrong, but just the mindset change has made a huge difference.”

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The addition of 5’9 junior guard Sydney Shaw has also made the Mountaineers offense more dynamic. The Auburn transfer has averaged 13.2 points per game for West Virginia, which has allowed it to increase its scoring by 11.1 points from last season when it averaged 73.7 points per game.

According to Her Hoops Stats, everything about West Virginia is better this season.

The Mountaineers are 17th in offensive rating (111.8%), up from 54th last season (104.8%). West Virginia is averaging 0.95 points per possession, 15th nationally, up from 0.88 points per possession last season. The Mountaineers’ effective field goal percentage is 55.3% (13th) this season, an improvement from the 50.5% of last year.

West Virginia has added more size and front-court depth, with 5’10 senior guard Kyah Watson and 6’3 junior forward Celia Riviere leading the way. Watson finished with 10 rebounds to accompany her season-best 15 points against the Owls. Riviere had 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench. The Mountaineers were sharp in the second half as they had 13 assists on their 15 field goals.

Rebounding has been a strength for West Virginia as its offensive rebounding rate is 11th nationally (43%), up from 211th a season ago (29.8%), according to Her Hoops Stats. In the same HHS ratings, the Mountaineers’ overall rebounding rate is 18th in the country (57.0%), a significant enhancement from the 48.2% last season, which was 249th overall.

“That’s what we want to be about,” Kellogg said. “Balance and depth are two things we’ve talked about quite a bit. We have more depth this year than we did a year ago, so that’s nice. From a coaching standpoint, we can play different ways, and I think you have to be able to win different types of games in different ways … Tonight, we just went a little bit bigger. [Temple] played zone. CeCe [Riviere] is a great passer, and you probably saw some of that. So, we went with that lineup against the zone and got her at the high post and just let her, you know, operate out of the high post. … I think there’s a better version of us, but having options certainly helps.”

Defensively is where the Mountaineers have shined. West Virginia’s defensive tenacity have resulted in ominous results for its opponents who have dreaded the 40-minute experience of facing its relentless pressure. Buzzing like a beehive that’s been disturbed, the Mountaineer defense, which has forced at least 20 turnovers in nine games this season, can best be described as unscripted entertainment.

They are allowing 48.9 points per game, which is second nationally. Through 11 games, that’s nearly nine points fewer than the 57.8 they allowed last season. West Virginia has held seven opponents under 50 points this season. The Mountaineers are also third nationally in steals per game (15.2), fifth in turnovers forced (26.2) and ninth in turnover margin (9.73), all which leads the Big 12.

“That’s what makes our team special,” Harrison said of West Virginia’s defense. “That’s why we’re so good at what we do. We just had that instinct of knowing what an offensive player will do, and our coach pushes it so we’re confident, especially when we’re playing defense.”

Of course, the secret sauce to West Virginia’s success this season may have been its summer international trip during its tour of Italy and Croatia. Over the course of three games, the team not only sharpened its skills on the court but also enjoyed sightseeing adventures and scenic boat rides.

More importantly, the trip fostered a powerful team bond that sparked the Mountaineers. Now, as it gears up for conference play, West Virginia enters the next phase of the season confident, focused, and ready for the real challenges ahead. Two years ago, West Virginia lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Last year, it lost in the second round. Now, the Mountaineers are poised to advance further this season.

“That trip allowed us to get closer with each other,” Harrison said. “That helped with our chemistry because we were able to play with each other against different teams. Seeing what everybody liked to do, playing together, and having those extra games that other teams didn’t have or didn’t get were important for us.

“We learned a lot about each other and what we like to do. Seeing different combinations and playing together against a different team was fun because we always scrimmage each other in practice. That foreign trip helped us a lot, and that’s shown when we play.”

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