By Mickey Furfari
MORGANTOWN — Darryl “Truck” Bryant has been one of the most consistent performers on the nationally 11th-ranked West Virginia University men’s basketball team (15-3) recently.
The 6-1, 200-pound sophomore guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., is about the smallest player on the squad. But Coach Bob Huggins considers Bryant as invaluable to the Mountaineers’ success.
He is the leading playmaker with 61 assists and is averaging 10.7 points a game. He also has 34 rebounds and 13 steals.
“I just want to make plays,” Bryant said. “I don’t mind passing the ball. That’s my main job. While I’m one of the smaller guys, that doesn’t bother me.
“The bigger guys don’t bother me. I give ’em the ball so they can make plays, too.”
Huggins said, “Truck is really valuable to this team. He was our most consistent perimeter shooter the past two weeks or so.
“But he is the guy that has to bring the ball down the floor to put us on offense.
“He has been very, very consistent since we had a couple of heart-to-heart talks. I think his work ethic is so much better. His attention to detail is so much better.”
How did the comparatively small standout get a nickname as “Truck”?
“I got it when I was about 11 years old and I was playing in a basketball game on Coney Island,” Bryant replied. “I was kinda chubby then.
“Some guy with a microphone called me ‘Truck’ and it has stuck with me.
“I was getting a lot of charging fouls then and I assume that was the reason. I don’t even know the guy’s name. But I kinda like it.”
Bryant thinks making plays is his chief contribution to this year’s WVU team. He also mentioned “making shots” and “playing defense” as other strong attributes.
“Yes, I’d say I’m an all-around player,” he added.
Bryant said he loves playing for West Virginia. He believes all is going well since his one-on-one sessions with Huggins.
“I now know what I have to do for this team, and everything is fine,” he continued. “Now we’ve got to get back to winning games.”
Bryant admittedly is more relaxed, attributes his increased production to taking his time and focusing better on what he’s doing.
He started 28 games and played in all 35 contests last year as a true freshman. He averaged 9.8 ppg, shot 39.6 percent from the field, 37.7 from the three-point range, and 76 percent from the free throw line.
Bryant had 96 assists and averaged playing 25.6 minutes per game.
Bryant earned numerous honors as a prep superstar. He scored a school-record career high with 1,399 points at St. Raymond’s High.
He was named to the CHSAA first team. He was chosen MVP in the Gatorade Invitational, which St. Raymond’s won in Puerto Rico. He also was MVP of a high school challenge event.
Bryant shared in several AAU tournament triumphs, too.
