MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Believe it or not, a good amount of Toby Okani's prior knowledge of West Virginia University basketball came from a Pitt guy!
 
That Pitt guy is former Panther guard Ashton Gibbs, a family friend of Okani's from their days growing up in Orange, New Jersey. The 6-foot-8, 210-pounder said last week that he knew the Gibbs brothers when they played at West Orange High, and he remembers watching Ashton face the Mountaineers during their pre-"Press Virginia" days.
 
"I always watched them growing up, and I knew they were always a hard-nosed, pick-you-up-full-court team and regardless of your lead, it's going to go down to five points at the end of the game because they are going to press you the whole game and you are going to get tired of it eventually," he said.
 
Okani's path to Morgantown for his final season of college basketball began in Pittsburgh at Duquesne before heading west for two seasons at Illinois-Chicago in the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
It was at UIC where Okani expanded his game and attracted the attention of pro scouts and power-program coaches. His two seasons there saw his scoring and rebounding more than double, including a senior season in 2024 when he averaged 11.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, earning MVC All-Defensive Team honors.
 
The career-high 31 points he scored against Drake on senior day certainly got the attention of coach Darian DeVries, who kept tabs on Okani once he took the West Virginia job last spring. When Okani decided to pull his name out of the NBA Draft for another season of college basketball, DeVries immediately reached out.
 
And the interest was mutual.
 
"I was always a fan of how Drake played," Okani explained. "They are a well-coached team, and we've had battles over the years. During my process of choosing a school, when coach reached out to me, it was kind of like a no-brainer just because I had respect for him and his son and the relationship I've built with Tucker, so it just made sense for me to come here and make something happen with them."
 
What West Virginia is getting is a versatile defender who can guard positions one through four with exceptional length and athleticism.
 
The pro people are intrigued with his size and defensive versatility, but the offensive part of his game is still a work in progress. Last year, he shot a career-best 32% from 3 in the MVC, and if he can increase that to the high-30s in the Big 12, particularly from the corners, that will boost his stock significantly.
 
Okani describes his defensive style this way.
 
"Just knowing when to switch on smaller guards, bigger guards or maybe having to bang a little bit with the post guys, which is what I do," he said. "It was instilled in me to guard every single position like it's supposed to be normal."
 
Okani admits his overall game grew by leaps and bounds during his two seasons at UIC, despite the team's lack of success.
 
"My first two years were like a growing pain for me, just coming from being a defender and being a long, athletic wing. When I got to University of Illinois-Chicago, I got to expand my game," he explained. "I grade my two years there as my first two years of complete college basketball. I've developed the 3-point game a little bit more, my handle and just my playmaking.
 
"Whatever the numbers say doesn't define me because my path isn't necessarily someone else's path, and this year is the year for me to put it all together and help the team do as much as possible," he added.
 
What drew Okani to DeVries and West Virginia was the way DeVries' teams always competed at Drake. He classified them as "well-organized," which reflects their coach.
 
"They were never flustered about the moment or being down," Okani said.
 
"Of course, it's always hard to move places because you miss your friends, but inevitably, I knew what was best for me and to sacrifice what I needed to do for my career," he explained.
 
Okani admits spending two years in Pittsburgh will help him adjust to Morgantown, despite him being a self-described "city kid."
 
"It was only an hour from Pittsburgh, so I was a little bit familiar with the area," he said.
 
"I'm a laidback person anyway," he added. "What drew me here is the chemistry I had with the coach. It's the same chemistry I had with my former coach, and I thrive off the respect of my teammates and the coaches - just seeing what they do and how well they do it and how composed they are on the sidelines."
 
Okani said WVU has been a great fit so far. The guys are all getting along and are supporting each other, too.
 
"Off the court is really what jells the chemistry, because in college basketball, it's better to like your teammates," he explained. "It's not professional yet, but the more you like your teammates the more you jell on the court, and you understand how to talk to them."
 
Okani predicts West Virginia is going to be a team that feeds off other teams' mistakes this year. 
 
"Keep an open mind of us, regardless of what the media says about us," he said. "We've got a whole lot of basketball to play before it's over. We're here to win, and we're not here to win later. This team is built with a lot of seniors and fifth-year players with a mix of freshmen that are ready to win now."

Your first opportunity to catch Okani and the rest of the team is next Friday night, Oct. 18, when the Mountaineers play an exhibition game against Charleston at the WVU Coliseum.
 
The regular season opener is Monday, Nov. 4, against Robert Morris in a 7 p.m. game at the Coliseum. Season tickets remain on sale and can by purchased through the Mountaineer Ticket Office by logging on to WVUGAME.com.