Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
LAS VEGAS – After a season full of highs and lows, West Virginia ended the season crowned the champions of the College Basketball Crown with an 89-82 win over Oklahoma. While that is a terrific feat, the season was about more than scores and stats.
Behind every clutch shot and defensive stop was a team whose strength came from its culture, camaraderie, and resilience. From the start, it was clear that the Mountaineers thrived on trust and support.
“I’ve been with Coach (Ross) Hodge for two years now,” senior Brenen Lorient said. “I think the proudest thing I’d be proud of was that regardless of what was said around our team, concerning our team, we just always showed up. We always loved each other. And we fought to the very end.”
Throughout a trying season, that bond was apparent on and off the court. The fight and drive WVU put forth every day was for one another. If one person is down or having a bad night, someone else steps up.
“I think that’s the beauty of our team,” senior Honor Huff said. “We can pick each other up. Like some days I didn’t have a good day and Treyson (Eaglestaff) stepped up, Brenen stepped up, H.O. (Harlan Obioha), and I did want to shout out H.O. too before coach did it because I did look at the plus 35 and he doesn’t get as much notoriety or admiration. But what he does and brings to us every night is irreplaceable. I just appreciate his heart. Even the last game, when I missed a shot, he ran and dove onto the chair. And that might not get talked about as much as B-Lo had a great game, but I wanted to put that into the light as well.”
The team’s culture also emphasizes encouragement and confidence in each other.
“It’s really just these guys right here give me the confidence to, next shot mentality, that the next one’s gonna go in,” Huff said. “And coach always tells me, keep shooting and banging. He always tells me that on the sideline in my ear. So, it’s just they have the utmost confidence in me and I always had since the first game of the season.”
The respect and dedication among teammates extended beyond performance. Each player understood the effort that others put in, even when it went unnoticed.
“And like I said, just stepping up for each other, the team that we have, like I said out there, the camaraderie we have is some of the best I’ve ever been around,” Huff said. “And the way Coach Hodge structured this group from bottom to top, not just the players, from the coaching staff, from the managers, who gets to be in this circle. It’s just great people.”
The Mountaineers’ culture of resilience and mutual support carried them through tough challenges, on the court and in life.
“And to beat a team like that, they’re a great team. Like he (Hodge) mentioned, SEC team that was right on the brink of going to March Madness,” Huff said. “So, you know, it was a battle, and we knew it was going to be. But I think we have the resilience and the group to win, withstand the storms that we had to withstand and get a win. So I’m just happy to be a part of this. Obviously, I will remember this for the rest of my life.”
In a season defined by hard work, perseverance, and record-breaking performances, WVU’s true edge came from the family-like bond among players and the staff, proving that championship culture is built as much off the court as it is on the court.
The 2025-26 Mountaineers set the standard for the future culture of WVU basketball.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
