Darian DeVries takes Indiana job 1 year after leaving Drake for West Virginia
Darian DeVries is heading to Indiana.
DeVries, an Iowa native who coached Drake University to a 150-55 record and three NCAA appearances in six seasons from 2018-2024, left last spring for West Virginia — and took his son, Tucker Devries, with him.
The Mountaineers were 19-13 and just missed the NCAA Tournament in Darian DeVries' only season there. Tucker Devries averaged 14.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in his eight starts before an upper-body injury that required surgery ended his season.
Indiana officials announced Tuesday afternoon that they hired DeVries to follow retiring coach Mike Woodson. DeVries had widely been considered a top candidate for Iowa's coaching vacancy after Fran McCaffery was fired.
"This is unquestionably one of the top jobs in America. As someone who grew up in the Midwest loving the game of basketball, I've always admired the IU Basketball program for its championship-level success, tradition, and fan support," Darian DeVries said in a news release from Indiana University. "There's a passion to succeed at the very highest levels both within the Big Ten and in the NCAA Tournament, and that's a desire that as a coach I share. On top of that, the alignment is there on a department and university level to make that happen. I'm excited for this opportunity and am ready to work relentlessly to assemble a staff and a roster that competes for championships."
Darian DeVries, 49, was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year (2019, 2021) while at Drake. He graduated from Aplington-Parkersburg High School and played college basketball at Northern Iowa. He was a longtime assistant coach at Creighton University before taking the head job at Drake.
Tucker DeVries was a two-time Valley Player of the year (2023, 2024). He led Waukee to Class 4A state championship in 2021 and was named Mr. Basketball that season.
"We went into this coaching search with some very specific things we were looking for in our next head coach, and Darian emerged as someone who, on paper, met and often exceeded our criteria," Indiana Athletic Director Scott Dolson said. "Once we had a chance to talk to him, we knew we had the right person. Darian has a plan for building a championship culture that can compete at the highest level on a year-in, year-out basis."
West Virginia, Indiana, Boise State and Ohio State were the first four teams left out of the 68-team NCAA Tournament this year.
Bubba Cunningham, the North Carolina athletic director who is chairman of the NCAA Tournament selection committee, referenced Tucker DeVries' injury when talking about the first four teams left out.
“The last four teams that were out for, it was a tough call. The next team out was West Virginia and they had an outstanding year and unfortunately knowing Tucker DeVries was hurt, player availability is something that we talk about quite a bit,” Cunningham said during the Selection Show. “Indiana was close, Ohio State was close, Boise was close.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.