MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — As someone who is not much of a conspiracy theorist, I scoff at the idea of most conspiracies, particularly in organized athletics. Typically, they lack any real proof or substance that supports the theories.
However, the theory surrounding Tucker DeVries and his shoulder injury while playing at West Virginia University is certainly questionable to say the least. DeVries, a 6’7 senior from Waukee, Iowa, and the son of former WVU head coach and current Indiana Hoosiers head coach Darian DeVires, played 8 games for the Mountaineers before shutting it down for the season. His final game at West Virginia was a home game against the Georgetown Hoyas on December 6th of 2024. DeVries played 37 minutes and scored 15 points on 5-10 from the field and 3-6 from three point range. In addition, he added 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in the Mountaineers’ 73-60 win over the Hoyas.
And then that was it. DeVries, who was rumored to make approximately $1 million in NIL money for the season, sat on the bench with a sling on for the remainder of the season, missing the team’s final 24 games. Nothing was said about DeVries’ injury except that he suffered an “upper body injury” until on February 4th, when Darian DeVries released the following statement on social media: “Since early December, we have consulted with our team doctors and numerous medical professionals to evaluate and treat Tucker’s injury,” coach DeVries said. “Tucker did everything he could to get back on the court this season, but unfortunately it has been determined by all parties involved that surgery is necessary. He will be out of action for approximately three months.
“We will apply for a medical redshirt and certainly look forward for Tucker to come back healthy for his final year. As I’ve said before, we have a great bunch of guys in the locker room who have rallied around him during his absence. I have complete confidence in our team that they will continue to do so.”
What was once a promising first season for the Mountaineers under Darian DeVries suddenly became a very difficult, arduous journey. While Javon Small stepped up admirably in DeVries’ absence, the Mountaineers were too thin depth-wise and ultimately the team struggled to close games in the second half of the season.
Rumors of Tucker DeVries exaggerating his injury started to leak out early in the year. People wondered how he could have performed at such a high level – after all, he shot 47.3% from three point range and averaged 15.0 points per game – with such a lingering injury. If you know anything about shoulder injuries, even raising your arm up causes excruciating pain. How could DeVries shoot so well and manage to get rebounds while dealing with such incredible pain?
Well, according to two former teammates of DeVries, the injury was very much exaggerated and potentially completely fake. When speaking to a player on a condition of anonymity, he said, “It was fake. I can’t say that 100%, but everything added up and it all makes sense now.”
Another player, who also asked to remain anonymous, said the following about DeVries’ injury: “Fake ass surgery.”
So while we’ll never know for certain if injury was legitimate or not, there was certainly cause for speculation, and players in the locker room believed that DeVries was in fact faking the injury. Why would he fake or exaggerate an injury? Well, the belief is that Tucker and his father knew that Darian would leave West Virginia after one season for another program. They may not have known the destination back in December (though many believe they did), they likely knew that DeVries was not going to stay in Morgantown for the long run.
Why is this important? Two reasons: 1.) Tucker DeVries was paid $1 million to essentially sit on the bench for an entire season. 2.) Darian DeVries likely would not have landed a lucrative job without his son tagging along with him. DeVries was able to sell himself and Tucker as a package deal, and Tucker was one of the best returning players in the nation. Does anyone really believe that Darian DeVries would be the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers right now without his son Tucker with him? I don’t.
