BLOOMINGTON — As the clock ticked down on Indiana men’s basketball’s blowout win over Minnesota, Darian DeVries prepared to get his seniors some additional recognition for their final regular season home game.
Senior night is always emotional for those players winding down their collegiate careers. Indiana has six seniors, all of whom play big roles for this team. DeVries started his chain of substitutions by sending Conor Enright in for Lamar Wilkerson.
But Indiana’s first-year head coach had to brace himself for the next move: Jasai Miles checked in for Tucker DeVries.
Darian DeVries has known some of these seniors for only a year, and some, like Enright, date back to his tenure at Drake. The length of those relationships was irrelevant on a night like this: he gave all six seniors warm embraces as they checked out on Wednesday.
But watching Tucker exit the game and receive his ovation from the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall crowd elicited a different level of emotion. Darian went down a few spots on the sideline, moving to the last spot in between his assistants and the other players. Tucker made his way down the bench as IU’s coaching staff greeted him.
Darian held back tears watching his son go through his senior day ritual, before the two shared a long, meaningful hug.
“I fought it (breaking down) all day, and I’m not giving in now,” Darian said after the game. “There’s just a lot of emotion tied to it. Some special times are about to end.”
He couldn’t say any more without losing that battle and crying at the dais.
Wilkerson has unequivocally been Indiana’s best player this season. Even while spending only one season in cream and crimson, he’ll go down as one of the greatest shooters to ever come through the program.
But Tucker DeVries’ senior night is more significant in college basketball at large.
The Waukee, Iowa native is second on the NCAA’s career scoring list among active players, with 2,400 points on the dot after putting up 13 on Wednesday. Gonzaga’s Graham Ike is the only current player with more points than DeVries.
Tucker DeVries may not ultimately be remembered as an Indiana Hoosier. His legacy at Drake will carry much more weight, barring a stunning conclusion to this season. But this was senior night for one of the sport’s best players over the last half-decade.
He got to share the moment with his dad. Darian had a front-row seat as his son checked out of his last collegiate home game.
“All these guys, when they’re seniors, you have a special connection with them, as this is their last time on the home floor,” Darian said. “When you get that opportunity with your son, it’s a different feeling.”
This isn’t something that happens very often at Assembly Hall, father and son on the court together for senior night. The last time Indiana basketball would’ve experienced such a moment was Pat Knight’s senior day in 1995.
That date had far more significance for the program. Pat Knight spent four years as a Hoosier, and his father was a future Hall of Fame coach. Bob Knight showed rare emotion that day in honoring Pat. Tucker DeVries will have spent one year in Bloomington, as a key part of his father’s first Indiana team. Pat went to a Final Four, two Elite Eights, and three Sweet Sixteens; Tucker and the 2026 Hoosiers are fighting just to get into the NCAA Tournament.
That effort will continue Saturday with a big game at fellow bubble team Ohio State to close the regular season. IU’s get-right game against Minnesota will give the group sorely-needed positive momentum going into that matchup.
But Wednesday was about more than that. Indiana’s senior night afforded Darian and Tucker DeVries the opportunity to share a special moment that few fathers and sons get to experience together.
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