Darian DeVries went 19-13 in his one season as West Virginia's head coach.
(West Virginia Athletics)
Indiana University wasted little time finding a successor to Mike Woodson as its men’s basketball coach.
Two days after the Hoosiers were left out of the NCAA Tournament, the Hoosiers announced they had hired former Drake and West Virginia coach Darian DeVries.
DeVries will be introduced at a press conference Wednesday morning.
“This is unquestionably one of the top jobs in America,” DeVries said in a press release. “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.
“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.”
The 49-year-old DeVries succeeds Mike Woodson, who announced his retirement after four seasons as head coach early last month.
“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,” IU athletic director Scott Dolson said in a press release. “Once we had a chance to talk to him, we knew we had the right person.”
DeVries coached just one season at West Virginia, going 19-13 overall and 10-10 in the Big 12 this season. But the Mountaineers, like IU, were one of the first teams left out of the tournament.
He made his name in the previous six seasons as the head coach at Drake, where DeVries compiled a 150-55 record. His teams won 25 or more games in each of his final four seasons and won three Missouri Valley Conference titles – one regular season and two tournaments.
“Darian has a plan for building a championship culture that can compete at the highest level on a year-in, year-out basis,” Dolson said. “He has extensive D-1 coaching experience that includes 15 trips to the NCAA Tournament as a head coach or as an assistant.
“This past season at West Virginia, he inherited a last-place Big 12 team with no significant contributors returning and managed to more than double its win total despite a pair of significant season-ending injuries.”
DeVries’ staff at West Virginia included former IU player Kory Barnett and Chester Frazier, who Hoosier fans will remember for chest-bumping IU’s Eric Gordon during pre-game introductions at Illinois in 2008.
“I’m excited for this opportunity and am ready to work relentlessly to assemble a staff and a roster that competes for championships,” DeVries said.
DeVries played collegiately at Northern Iowa, where he scored 1,084 career points
He and his wife, Ashley, have two children, Tucker (22) and Tatum (16).
