BLOOMINGTON — When Indiana head men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries walked out to the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall court Monday ahead of his team’s game, a familiar face awaited him by the scorer’s table.
IU doesn’t have much history with Oregon, as this was only the sixth meeting between the two programs. But DeVries and Ducks head coach Dana Altman go way back.
Altman brought DeVries in as a graduate manager at Creighton after DeVries graduated from Northern Iowa in 1998. He spent three years with the Bluejays as a GA, before earning a promotion to assistant coach in 2001. DeVries worked with Altman for 12 years before the longtime Creighton coach left for Oregon. They faced off as head coaches for the first time on Monday in Bloomington.
After taking the floor, DeVries exchanged fist bumps and handshakes with IU’s bench, as usual. He then made his way across the court to greet Altman and Oregon’s staff. He shook hands with his former boss, before embracing him in a clearly meaningful moment for the pair.
“I have the utmost respect for him and what he’s done. Just an incredible person and coach,” DeVries said after the game. “So it was, for me, a special moment just to be there and share that moment with him on the sideline.”
DeVries ultimately got the best of Altman, as Indiana rolled its way to a 92-74 victory. IU (17-8, 8-6 Big Ten) has now won five of its last six games, trending in the right direction heading down the stretch of the regular season. Oregon (8-16, 1-12) continued to struggle, dropping its 10th consecutive game.
But for Altman, going up against his former assistant was about more than what happened on the court. He saw DeVries get married and have kids — including IU forward Tucker DeVries — during their time together.
“12 years together is a long time,” Altman said. “I watched him get married, I watched his family grow up. And we’ve stayed in touch over the years.”
Altman has been extremely successful throughout his coaching career. He took Creighton, then a Missouri Valley Conference program, to seven NCAA Tournaments in his 16 seasons in Omaha, Neb. And he’s led Oregon to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, with five Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights, and a Final Four.
He knows what it takes to win at the highest levels of the game. And he is confident DeVries can make that happen at Indiana.
“He’s got a really good basketball mind, and he really connects with players good,” Altman said. “He’ll do a great job here. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
DeVries doesn’t quite have that same track record as Altman, though he’s in only his eighth year as a head coach. And he still won a lot at MVC program Drake, leading the Bulldogs to three NCAA Tournaments and winning at least 20 games in each of his six seasons in Des Moines, Iowa. He went 19-13 with West Virginia last year before coming to IU.
Altman is one of DeVries’ biggest coaching influences. And IU’s head coach reciprocated the love shown by his former boss.
“I have so much love and affection for coach Altman. He’s one of the best that there is out there,” DeVries said. “I felt honored to be on the sideline with him. Because he’s been doing this such a long time, and he’s been so good to myself and my family. Gave me a start in this profession.”
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