MORGANTOWN - We're arrived at a point in the season when it's finally fair to step back and take a look at West Virginia basketball and how reality has fared against expectations.
The Mountaineers are 11 games deep in a 31-game regular season. They don't play again until they visit Virginia Tech on Dec. 30, the first game in a three-city, six-day trip that's going to reveal the constitution of this group.
But at 10-1 and ranked No. 19 with the only loss coming on a neutral court against fifth-ranked Virginia, which won in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden despite a 12-point deficit, the Mountaineers are who we thought they'd be.
We knew they'd press their way to success, and they have. We knew they'd overwhelm opponents with possessions and pace, and they have. We knew the offense, the rebounding and the overlooked work on defense would rotate around forward Devin Williams, and it has.
But something is different. Williams no longer wears No. 5. After two years atop Williams' torso, the digit belongs to Jaysean Paige, who's done it no disservice during his final season as he leads the team in 3-point shooting and averages 10.4 points per game.
"Well, there's a story," Williams said. "My brother passed away. He actually got shot - murdered - and he wore No. 41."
Donshae Williams, the youngest of Williams' two older brothers, was shot and killed in Cincinnati in August 2011, just before Williams started his junior year at Withrow High.
"Just a bad night. Wrong place, wrong time," Williams said. "It's sad, but that's how my city is. That's how my city is going. I just use it for motivation to get my nephew out of there and make it better for him and the whole family."
A year later, Williams moved to Florida and played at Montverde Academy, which won the 2013 National High School Invitational Championship. On a roster full of Division I recruits, Williams was first-team all-state for independent players.
He started 65 of 67 games his first two seasons at WVU, making the Big 12's all-rookie team in 2014 and honorable mention all-conference last season. He jumped from 8.4 points and 7.2 rebounds his first year to 11.6 points and 8.1 rebounds the next.
This season had to be different. It had to be even better. Williams decided a change would help him improve. He could think of just one way to reveal a new Devin Williams.
"I was going to stick with No. 5, but Jaysean kept asking me, and I knew how this year was going to be with me stepping into a new role," he said. "I wanted to have that fresh feel to myself. What better way than to represent my brother?"
It was a burden he welcomed, one he needed to push himself to get to where his teammates needed and his coaches wanted him to be.
He then started the season with five double-doubles, which hadn't happened at WVU in 55 years, and was named the MVP as the Mountaineers won the Las Vegas Classic. His six double-doubles so far rank No. 11 in the country. He leads the team with 16.4 points and 9.1 rebounds and would have 11 double-figure scoring games if not for foul trouble early and then a blow out late that kept him on the bench for most of a win against Marshall.
"I try to keep the goal in mind," he said. "I wish I could go out and score 25 and get 17 rebounds every game. Realistically, I've got to keep focused. It's easy to drift off when things are going really well."
The performances are one matter, and Williams has handled them impressively, but there wasn't much doubt he and his 6-foot-9, 255-pound frame could do that. The numbers the first two seasons and the way they increased foreshadowed it.
The role is an entirely different matter, and he's handled that just as well.
And not to say it's surprising, but there was no hint it would turn out this way. He was surrounded by talent at Montverde and didn't have to be on every night or even most nights. He had older players to take to command the lead the past two seasons, too.
There is no Juwan Staten this season. There is no Gary Browne. The players around him need him all the time. But there seems to be no doubt Williams can shoulder this regularly and as a matter of necessity.
"It's going well," he said. "I'll be tested a month from now, two weeks from now, but I think I'm handling it the right way."
Williams is a product of patterns, a proponent of preparation. He has routines he trusts, whether in the weight room or the film room, on the practice court or on the floor before the game, but he has additional help this season. His mother, Angela, moved to town during the summer. They share an apartment in town, and Williams has a regular reminder of what he's trying to accomplish during his junior season.
"It's about getting rest, making a few sacrifices and things like that," he said. "Your friends may want you to hang out, but you've got to keep the eye on the prize. That's what I've been trying to do - keep my eyes on the prize and make certain sacrifices. That should help as long as I just keep preparing and read my scouting reports and stay dialed-in."