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MONEY TO TO FINISH THE PROJECT. ABBOTT WELL, DRAKE MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH DARREN DEVRIES OFFICIALLY COACHED HIS VERY LAST GAME WITH THE BULLDOGS ON THURSDAY. THE UNIVERSITY OF WEST VIRGINIA SAYS HE’LL BE STARTING IN A NEW ROLE AS ITS HEAD COACH NEXT SEASON. ����vlog’S ETHAN HUMBLE IS LIVE AT DRAKE UNIVERSITY, WHERE HE SPOKE WITH FANS TO HEAR THEIR THOUGHTS ON HIS DEPARTURE. HI, ETHAN. YES, JODI LAURA DEVRIES WON OVER 25 GAMES IN EACH OF HIS LAST FOUR SEASONS WITH DRAKE THAT TOTALING TO, BEING OVER 70% OF GAMES THAT HE WON DURING HIS SIX YEARS. SIX YEARS AT THE HELM AND NOW, SAFE TO SAY, WITH ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COACHES IN DRAKE HISTORY LEAVING THE HELM, FANS ARE FEELING PRETTY BUMMED OUT. I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE REALLY SHOCKED. SHOCKED, UH, SADNESS. I WAS REALLY DISAPPOINTED, SORT OF HAPPY FOR HIM. SAD FOR DRAKE, DRAKE STUDENTS AND FANS HAVE ALL SORTS OF THOUGHTS ABOUT COACH DEVRIES LEAVING. THE NEWS CAME SUNDAY, JUST DAYS AFTER DRAKE’S HEARTBREAKING LOSS IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT. AT A PRESS CONFERENCE, DRAKE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR BRIAN HARDIN SAYS IT’S BEEN A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW, CERTAINLY A BITTERSWEET DAY. UM, KIND OF KNEW THAT THIS DAY COULD COME AT SOME POINT, BUT, UM, IT DOESN’T MAKE IT ANY EASIER EITHER PERSONALLY OR PROFESSIONALLY. DEVRIES IS NOW JOINS A GROWING LIST OF COACHES WHO BUILT UP SUCCESSFUL BASKETBALL PROGRAMS AT DRAKE BEFORE MOVING ON ELSEWHERE. KENO DAVIS LEFT DRAKE FOR PROVIDENCE AND THEN CENTRAL MICHIGAN AFTER COACHING ONE SEASON FROM 2007 TO 2008. ON THE WOMEN’S SIDE, IOWA COACH LISA BLUDER AND OKLAHOMA COACH JENNY BARANTSCHIK ARE NOW LEADING THEIR OWN PROGRAMS AFTER THEIR TEN YEARS WITH THE BULLDOGS. NOW, WITH DEVRIES LEAVING, FANS FEAR THEY COULD ALSO LOSE HIS SON TUCKER, THE TEAM’S LEADING SCORER. I HOPE HIS SON DOES NOT GO WITH HIM. I THINK HE WOULD BENEFIT FROM STAYING AT DRAKE, BUT NOW, HARDIN SAYS IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON TO A NEW ERA OF DRAKE HOOPS, THE SAME ADVICE THAT PEOPLE OFTEN GIVE TO OTHERS IS, YOU KNOW, DON’T BE SAD THAT IT’S OVER. BE HAPPY THAT IT HAPPENED, AND ALTHOUGH THEY’RE GRATEFUL FOR THE TIME HE GAVE THEM, SOME FANS STILL WONDER WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN. I JUST FEEL LIKE HE HAD ONE MORE YEAR LEFT IN HIM HERE AND HE’S BOLTING WITH A JOB LEFT UNFINISHED. HARDIN SAYS HE’S ALREADY MOVING QUICKLY TO FIND DEVRY’S NEXT SUCCESSOR AS COACH, BUT THAT HE’S ALSO SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE SURE HE FINDS THE RIGHT FIT FOR THE JOB. LIVE IN DES MOIN