Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Jasper Floyd doesn’t need the spotlight to leave his mark. While the box score rarely tells his full story, the West Virginia senior has become one of the Mountaineers’ most reliable weapons by doing the work that wins games — guarding the opponent’s best player and setting the tone defensively.
Floyd is one of the Mountaineers’ unsung heroes. He doesn’t always have the flashiest moves or put up huge numbers on the scoreboard, but he brings value in ways that don’t always show up statistically.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound senior is averaging 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest. Floyd isn’t just one-dimensional and has established himself as one of WVU’s top defenders, while also serving as a leader on and off the court.
“I also want to say, this is the best friend I ever played with,” senior guard Honor Huff said. “We joke about it all the time, but I think sometimes he gets underappreciated in what he does and what he brings to the table night in and night out. It’s not a day he doesn’t do what he’s supposed to do in his job as our leader. And I appreciate that. And this guy right here steps up whenever we need him, no matter what. He’s having a good game or a bad game.”
Floyd’s defensive impact was evident in Tuesday’s win over Kansas State. The Tampa, Florida, native helped limit Wildcats guard P.J. Haggerty — who ranks fifth in the Big 12 in scoring at 23.0 points per game — to 16 points on 31.5 percent shooting.
“You’ve done a really good job on him and know he’s a great player that you’re not going to be able to hold down for two halves,” Hodge said. “But, man, I thought Jasper did a great job on him. It’s one thing that Jasper’s consistently done, has done a good job on other teams’ best player and made them inefficient, which that’s what you want to do with a player of his caliber.
“You’re never going to stop them. And then the biggest thing for us was not putting them on the foul line. And I thought the discipline that our entire team showed Jasper in particular at the end of plays to not swipe down, to not hack down on them. And really, you really have to over exaggerate your hands because he’s so good at filling your body. And if he fills your body on you, you’re fouling him. So I thought we just did a good job of making them inefficient and keeping them off the foul line.”
Defensively, the Tampa, Florida, native has been a driving force all season. In 21 games, Floyd has recorded 39 steals, ranking 58th in Division I and 27th nationally in steal rate.
The North Texas transfer is active and consistently makes life difficult for opposing point guards. He is disciplined on the ball and rarely gets into foul trouble.
“I think, goes underappreciated sometimes,” senior Treysen Eaglestaff said. “And him guarding the ball, we know we have a really good chance of getting a stop throughout the whole game.”
Inside the Mountaineers’ locker room, Floyd’s impact needs no explanation. His teammates see it every night, even when the box score doesn’t.
