Indiana Coach Search: Darian DeVries Has Demonstrated He Can Win Quickly

West Virginia coach Darian DeVries has been a big winner since he broke into head coaching ranks.

Virginia Mountaineers head coach Darian DeVries talks to his team during the second half against the Brigham Young Cougars at WVU Coliseum. / Ben Queen-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – With the Indiana men’s basketball coaching search having such a long, winding road to its conclusion, it’s not unlike the start of a presidential campaign.

A lot of different candidates have their supporters before things begin to coalesce in the primaries and caucuses. If you use that metaphor, one of the candidates that some Indiana fans support to be the next coach is Drake boss Ben McCollum.

McCollum (we’ll write about him later this week) has the Bulldogs at 25-3 overall and atop the Missouri Valley Conference. An impressive start for McCollum without doubt, but he didn’t inherit a losing program.

Drake has won 20 games or more since the 2018-19 season. The Bulldogs went to the NCAA Tournament three times since 2021.

The man who responsible for that success is West Virginia coach Darian DeVries, who against some odds is winning at a good clip with the Mountaineers this season.

What Makes DeVries An Attractive Choice

West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Darian DeVries applauds his defense in the first half of the NCAA basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

DeVries (his first name is pronounced “Darren”) has had a fascinating path to head coaching success. An Iowa native who played at Northern Iowa in the 1990s, he was hired by then-Creighton coach Dana Altman as a graduate assistant. He was so talented that Altman retained DeVries as a full assistant once his time as a GA ended.

DeVries remained on Altman’s staff through the 2000s as Creighton made five NCAA Tournament appearances with DeVries on Altman’s staff. When Altman left for Oregon in 2010, DeVries stayed on at Creighton as one of Greg McDermott’s assistant coaches. He was there as the Bluejays transitioned from the MVC to the Big East and Creighton made five more NCAA appearances with DeVries on McDermott’s staff.

DeVries spent 20 seasons at Creighton and well-respected though he was, many wondered whether he’d ever take a head coaching job.

He finally took over Drake in 2018. To understand what DeVries did at Drake, you have to understand where Drake’s program was.

Drake had a proud past, including a Final Four appearance in 1969, but with the exception of isolated solid seasons here and there, the private Des Moines, Iowa, school was analogous to being the Northwestern of the Missouri Valley Conference. From 1988-2018, Drake finished over .500 just four times. In that same period, Drake had one NCAA Tournament appearance and one MVC championship.

DeVries immediately reversed Drake’s fortunes. The Bulldogs were 24-10 in his first season, beginning their still-current 20-win season streak. In 2021, he coached Drake to the NCAA Tournament, winning one of the play-in games. In 2023 and 2024, Drake won the MVC Tournament to get into the tournament.

DeVries took over a situation at West Virginia that was in turmoil in the wake of Bob Huggins’ unplanned exit in 2023. The Mountaineers were 9-23 in the 2023-24 season, and DeVries had to start from scratch. Against long odds and with injury woes, West Virginia is 16-11 and the Mountaineers are on the bubble to make the NCAA Tournament.

What characterizes DeVries’ teams is smart guard play, a relatively deliberate pace, and good 3-point shooting. DeVries has a talent for identifying or developing good point guards. Javon Small is his point guard at West Virginia, and he averages 5.5 assists. All but two of DeVries’ teams at Drake had point guards who averaged at least five assists per game.

West Virginia Mountaineers guard Tucker DeVries (12) drives to the basket as Arizona Wildcats forward Carter Bryant (9) defends during the second half at Imperial Arena at the Atlantis resort. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

It hasn’t hurt DeVries’ cause that his son, Tucker, has been with him for much of his ride. Since 2022, he’s averaged 17.7 points and is a volume 3-point shooter. He’s out with a shoulder injury, but he only played eight games and would likely be eligible for a medical waiver to play next season.

One thing specific to Indiana that DeVries did well was recruit the state of Indiana. His early success at Drake was built with players from northwest Indiana. Tremell Murphy, D.J. Wilkins, Jonah Jackson and Roman Penn were key players and all had Region roots. That’s an area of the state Indiana has struggled to recruit.

What Are Drawbacks With DeVries

There are no skeletons in DeVries’ closet as far as NCAA trouble or personal issues.

DeVries signed a five-year contract at West Virginia, and he’s paid $2.8 million in base salary, a base that rises to $3.2 million by the end of the deal. If DeVries finishes in the top six of the Big 12 in his first two seasons, the contract automatically gets extended.

His buyout is 37.5% of his remaining compensation on his contract. That equates to $5.62 million at present.

That might be a bit too rich for Indiana’s blood. Not because of the amount, but because DeVries has only one season of success at the power conference level.

And that’s the crux of the matter with DeVries. His track record is still more like that of an up-and-coming coach, not an established power conference winner. It would be fair for an Indiana fan to ask whether he’s proven enough at Indiana’s level of competition.

It’s also fair to wonder whether DeVries would do OK in the highly scrutinized Indiana fishbowl.

Is It Realistic To Expect DeVries To Take The Indiana Job?

West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Darian DeVries celebrates with West Virginia Mountaineers forward Amani Hansberry (13) after defeating the Iowa State Cyclones at WVU Coliseum. / Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Much like Brad Brownell, Chris Jans, Grant McCasland and several others, DeVries is unlikely to be Indiana’s first choice. However, he’d be a solid choice if Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson has to work off a longer list.

If Indiana did want DeVries, it might have competition from within the Big Ten. Fran McCaffery’s position at Iowa has become increasingly tenuous with speculation his job status is in jeopardy. If DeVries was to make a jump after just one year at West Virginia, his home state school might be the more appealing option than Indiana. (A similar dynamic is at work with McCollum.)

It would be a surprise if DeVries was the next Indiana coach, but if he was? He’s succeeded everywhere he’s been.