This is the ninth in a series of profiles of potential candidates for Indiana’s open basketball head coaching position.
Candidate: Darian DeVries
Age: 49
Current position, tenure: West Virginia head coach since 2024
Previous Jobs: Drake head coach 2018-24, Creighton assistant coach 2001-18
Accomplishments: DeVries posted 20-win seasons in each of his six years at the helm of Drake. He snapped his streak in his first year at West Virginia this year, but the Mountaineers joined Indiana among the first two teams left out of the NCAA Tournament. He led Drake to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including as an at-large team in 2021. DeVries has compiled a 169-68 overall record, with an 88-43 record in conference play between the Big 12 and MVC. He was named MVC Coach of the Year twice in 2019 and 2021.
Why it might work: DeVries has coached to a level of consistency Indiana has sorely lacked in the recent era. The last time IU attained six consecutive 20-win seasons was from 1998-2003, with Bob Knight and Mike Davis leading the program. DeVries had a strong case to at least have a chance to make it seven straight this season, if not for the NCAA Tournament snub. But even so, there’s an impressive facet of WVU’s season that reflects well on DeVries. He brought his son, Tucker, with him from Drake, and Tucker was expected to be the team’s best player. Tucker played in West Virginia’s first eight games this season, but then missed the rest of the season with an injury. But the Mountaineers overcame that and still put themselves in position to earn an NCAA Tournament bid — they became the first team projected to make the field by every bracket in Bracket Matrix to still miss the tournament.
Darian also said Tucker would apply for a medical hardship waiver that would allow him to play another season — if he followed his father to Bloomington, that would give the Hoosiers a top-level transfer addition immediately.
It also speaks to the culture DeVries built up in Des Moines that Ben McCollum stepped in this year and kept things rolling for the Bulldogs.
Why it might not work or happen: The obvious reason why this might not happen is because of another open job. DeVries is from Iowa, his brother was a football star for the Hawkeyes, and UI is reportedly interested. Regardless of the differences in salary or resources between the jobs, it could be tough for Indiana to land DeVries if he had an offer closer to home and he was drawn by that emotional appeal.
Additionally, DeVries doesn’t have a top track record in March Madness, with a 1-3 record in the NCAA Tournament. That one win came in the 2021 First Four with Drake. IU would certainly hope its next head coach can do better than that in the Big Dance.
UPDATE: ESPN’s Pete Thamel has reported that DeVries is not a candidate for the Iowa job.
Previous profiles:
For complete coverage of IU basketball’s 2025 coaching search, GO HERE.
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