Key matchup: Seasoned West Virginia guard Javon Small brings 3-point shooting, offensive intuition into matchup with Gonzaga

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – West Virginia’s team plane didn’t land in the Bahamas until Monday evening, but senior guard Javon Small had already crossed paths with a handful of familiar faces strolling around the Atlantis resort by the time he joined Mountaineers coach Darian DeVries and teammate Tucker DeVries for a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

“We just got here yesterday,” Small said. “I’d probably say my favorite thing so far has been running into old teammates or old friends.”

It’s possible that Small, with previous stops at East Carolina and Oklahoma State, is leading this Battle 4 Atlantis field in former teammates, perhaps matching well-traveled Gonzaga guard Khalif Battle (Butler, Temple, Arkansas) or journeyman Indiana forward Oumar Ballo (Gonzaga, Arizona) in that category.

He’s also leading West Virginia in scoring (15.5 ppg), assists (4.0 apg), steals (3.0 spg) and 3-point percentage (43.5%) – all things that make him the most notable player on Gonzaga’s scouting report, barely edging out senior wing Tucker DeVries, entering Wednesday’s opener at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

“Obviously, he’s a good player,” Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard said of Small. “He can shoot it, scoring the ball pretty well, pretty good defender. So we’ve got our scout on him and we’ll do our best to take advantage of it in figuring it out.”

Small is a 6-foot-3 point guard who played high school basketball at Phoenix’s Compass Prep before starting in 58 of 64 games over three seasons at East Carolina and Oklahoma State.

He’s a natural playmaker who’s also shown the ability to score off the dribble, knock down catch-and-shoot 3-pointers at an efficient clip and create foul pressure on opponents.

The veteran guard has been a seamless fit in Darian DeVries’ offense during the coach’s first year at WVU and is coming off his best game – a 23-point, five-rebound, five-assist, four-steal effort against Iona that saw Small hit 5 of 9 3-pointers.

“I feel like with the offense we have, I’m able to fit in,” Small said. “I played with a lot of other great players, so if the shot clock’s running down, I don’t always have to be the person taking the shot. Just the movement we have, we share the ball really well. … I can break defenses down, but I feel like the best way to break a defense down is just moving the ball.”

Nembhard may not be Gonzaga’s best defensive option against Small, but it’s possible the Bulldogs will take their chances with the 6-foot point guard, considering the Mountaineers’ four other starters stand 6-4 or taller.

Nolan Hickman and Battle, or possibly Dusty Stromer and Emmanuel Innocenti off the bench, could all take turns matching up the dynamic WVU playmaker at various points of Wednesday’s game at Imperial Arena.