Indiana Hires Darian DeVries As New Head Coach. A Very Rough 48 Hours For West Virginia Basketball

After spending just one year as the West Virginia head coach, Darian DeVries is accepting the same position at Indiana, replacing Mike Woodson. 

This could not have come at a worse time for the West Virginia program, after being snubbed by the NCAA Tournament, then having Governor Patrick Morrisey hold a news conference implying that it is launching an investigation into the selection committee. 

Hired last March by West Virginia to takeover for interim head coach Josh Eilert, who replaced Bob Huggins after the legendary coach resigned in 2023, Darian DeVrie went 19-13 this past season for the Mountaineers. But, it was his work as the head coach at Drake that caught the eye of college basketball, leading the Bulldogs to three NCAA tournament appearances. 

I spoke with OutKick's Dan Dakich about the hiring of DeVries, who sounded excited about the future of Indiana basketball. 

"It's a fantastic hire by Scott Dolson. Coach DeVries is a proven winner, a damn good guy and a fantastic coach. IU basketball got much, much better today."

MORGANTOWN, WV  - JANUARY 29:  Head coach Darian DeVries of the West Virginia Mountaineers yells instructions to his players during a college basketball game against the Houston Cougars at the WVU Coliseum on January 29, 2025 in Morgantown, West Virginia.  (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

DeVries led Drake to the MVC tournament championship in 2023 and 2024, finishing with a 150-55 record as the Bulldogs head coach. 

For Indiana, they are getting a coach who has learned from two coaches that are certainly well known in the college basketball world, in Greg McDermott and Dana Altman during his time as an assistant coach at Creighton. 

Now, DeVries is taking a massive step-up in the coaching ranks by accepting the Indiana job. There has been a lot of disappointment for the Hoosiers since playing in the national championship game in 2002. Only three times has Indiana made it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since that game. 

While the Hoosiers do have the financial backing needed for NIL and bring in players from the transfer portal, the school needs stability and a coach who will bring a spark to the program, along with an agitated fan base. 

"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," DeVries said in a statement released by Indiana. 

"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."

It will be interesting to see if Tucker DeVries, Darian's son, will head to Bloomington with his father. The Missouri Valley Conference player of the year in 2023 and 2024 followed his dad to West Virginia, but only played in eight games this past season because of an injury. I would imagine that Indiana will file for a medical redshirt, and Tucker could potentially join his father. 

Rough Few Days For West Virginia After NCAA Tournament Snub

This has been a roller coaster of emotions for the West Virginia basketball program since Sunday evening. Thinking that it would make the NCAA Tournament, the Mountaineers were left out of the postseason, with the final spot going to North Carolina. 

Following the snub, West Virginia governor Patrick Morrisey held a news conference Monday to announce that attorney general JB McCuskey would be launching an investigation into the NCAA Tournament selection committee. During this announcement, Governor Morrisey also called out North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham for his actions, along with citing multiple reports that the Tar Heels AD is receiving a bonus for his school making the tournament. 

"This was a miscarriage of justice and robbery at the highest level," West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey stated. "And who was the last team to get into the tournament ahead of the Mountaineers? That would be the University of North Carolina. The Tar Heels went 1-12 in Quad-1 games, and even had a quad-3 loss. And we keep hearing about the importance of quad-1 wins, but UNC couldn’t even get more than one."

Wanting to throw further fire on the situation regarding the Mountaineers snub, Governor Morrisey pointed out that Bubba Cunninham was also receiving a bonus for North Carolina making the tournament, which is in most contracts for athletic directors by the way. 

"Here's something you may not know. UNC had representation in the room during the selection process. Let me repeat that, UNC had representation in the room during the selection process," Morrisey exclaimed. "Bubba Cunningham is the athletic director for UNC. He also happens to be the head of the tournament selection committee. 

"That's being reported by a number of outlets that Cunningham had a significant bonus incentive, at least $70,000 to get into the tournament, arguably more if they advanced, with more incentives on the way. I want folks to let that sink in for just a minute… This stinks at the highest level." 

Now, I think it would be in the best interest of West Virginia to put all of their focus on finding its third head coach in just three years. 

For Indiana, hiring Darian DeVrie was a hire that should once again have Hoosier fans excited about the future.