Indiana Hires Darian DeVries As Head Basketball Coach

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana is hiring West Virginia's Darian DeVries as its next basketball coach, the program announced Tuesday evening.

He replaces Mike Woodson, who stepped down after going 19-13 in his fourth season with the Hoosiers. Indiana announced on Feb. 7 that Woodson would step down after the season, and it moved quickly to hire DeVries once its season officially ended Sunday by missing the NCAA Tournament. The deal is for six years, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

DeVries, 49, will leave West Virginia after one season, where he went 19-13 overall and tied for seventh in the Big 12 standings with a 10-10 record. West Virginia was the first team left out of the NCAA Tournament, but it had wins over No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 24 Arizona, No. 7 Kansas and No. 2 Iowa State. The Mountaineers ranked 15th in defensive efficiency and 131st in offensive efficiency.

"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 in a release. "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. 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. Finally, he is passionate about the opportunity to lead our program. We are excited to welcome Darian and the entire DeVries family to our Hoosier family."

"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 release. "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."

"As President of IU, it is my expectation that our university strives for greatness in everything we do from academics to athletics," IU President Pamela Whitten said in a release. "Darian has demonstrated that he embraces that elite standard. In fact, he has a well-established track record of elevating programs to new levels of success. This is a great day for IU Men's Basketball and Indiana University."

West Virginia had an All-American candidate in guard Javon Small, who averaged 18.6 points per game. It also played without Tucker DeVries, Darian's son, for all but eight games. Tucker was averaging 14.9 points per game for the Mountaineers after winning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year twice at Drake.

Prior to hiring DeVries, West Virginia went 9-23 under interim head coach Josh Eilert, who took over for Bob Huggins. Huggins resigned after being arrested. DeVries brought in eight transfers and three freshmen going into his first season. West Virginia was picked to finish 13th in the Big 12 preseason poll and finished tied for seventh.

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.

DeVries' successful six-year run at Drake landed him the West Virginia job last offseason. Across six seasons, DeVries had a 150-55 overall record (.732 win percentage) and a 78-33 record in the Missouri Valley Conference. He led the Bulldogs to one regular season conference title, two conference tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances. The Bulldogs earned No. 10, 11 and 12 seeds and lost in the Round of 64 each year.

Drake finished second in the Missouri Valley his final four seasons. In 2023-24, it ranked No. 40 in offensive efficiency and No. 73 in defensive efficiency. The Bulldogs also achieved a top-40 defense in 2023, a top-75 offense in 2022 and the No. 33 offense in 2021.

DeVries took over a Drake program that went .500 or below in six straight seasons prior to his arrival, including three straight years with single-digit wins, and went 24-10 with a conference title in his first season. He accounts for three of Drake's seven all-time NCAA Tournament appearances and the first since 2008.

Prior to Drake, DeVries was an assistant coach at Creighton from 2001-18. His Creighton tenure began under future Oregon head coach Dana Altman, who made seven NCAA Tournament appearances with the Bluejays and a Final Four run with the Ducks. DeVries later coaches on Greg McDermott's staff, helping Creighton make five NCAA Tournament appearances.

DeVries is from Aplington, Iowa and played at Northern Iowa from 1994-98.

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