MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — When it was suddenly and abruptly announced that former West Virginia head basketball coach was leaving the Mountaineers to become the next head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers, I was at first stunned, shocked, dismayed, but the anger came later on. When I saw DeVries in the Indiana crimson and creme colors on their official announcement, I felt sick.
DeVries, who said in his in introductory press conference at West Virginia that he planned to be in Morgantown for a long, long time, ended up staying less than a full year. He was introduced to Mountaineer Nation on March 28, 2024, and he left March 18, 2025. He came and went like the wind. West Virginia fans, like they’ve felt so many times in the past, were left wondering why?
DeVries offered nothing to West Virginians in his press release yesterday. Here’s what he had to say about his move to Indiana: “This is unquestionably one of the top jobs in America,” DeVires said his statement. “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. 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.”
No thank you to West Virginia. No appreciation for what the state and university did for him. Nothing.
The only explanation for DeVries’ sudden departure was money. This wasn’t about going home like many of us believed early on. Returning home to coach the Iowa Hawkeyes was understandable. It meant being near family again, coaching the team he loved as a young man, but a move to Indiana is about one thing and one thing only: greed.
DeVries, who was portrayed as this wholesome, do-gooder during his career, was revealed as a completely selfish and unsavory character when he left for Indiana. Let’s be clear: West Virginia University was the first and only major program to give him a chance. There weren’t other big programs knocking down his door, asking him to be their head coach. None. He had no other major offers. Yes, DeVries was successful as a long-time assistant under outstanding head coach Greg McDermott and he got a shot at Drake, but what other schools were interested in him before West Virginia?
Would Indiana even have been interested if his son, Tucker, wasn’t joining him? Tucker, who played well before mysteriously suffering a shoulder injury after 8 games, is considered one of the best returning players in college basketball next season, and he was paid a lot of money to sit on the bench for the Mountaineers before shutting his season down early on. I won’t get into potential conspiracy theories around Tucker DeVries potentially faking his injury to play another season for his father elsewhere because I don’t necessarily believe that at this time, but it is awfully convenient that Darian DeVries was able to offer a program like Indiana a package deal with his son. DeVries wasn’t Indiana’s first, second, third, fourth or even fifth option. Indiana wanted a big name and settled on DeVries when no other big name candidate showed mutual interest in them.
DeVries has shown zero loyalty during his career. DeVries took his first opportunity to make more money when Wren Baker hired him away from Drake last year. Baker gave him everything he needed to succeed, promised him the world, and DeVries bolted the first chance he had. When Indiana came knocking, he saw only dollar signs. DeVries lied to everyone around him in Morgantown and sold out again. West Virgina has one of the best fan bases in the nation and deserves a lot better.
DeVries’ greed leaves the West Virginia basketball program and Wren Baker, who has been very good to him, in shambles. The Mountaineers have already lost two four star recruits – Kelvin Odih and Trent MacClean – as they decommitted almost immediately following his announcement. A team that had a lot of talent returning and a lot of reason for hope and optimism next season, is now left with nothing but questions. Talented freshman guard Jonathan Powell entered the transfer portal and he will undoubtedly not be the only major loss on the roster. What now becomes of Amani Hansberry, Sencire Harris, KJ Tenner, and the rest of the core group of players on the West Virginia roster? It becomes more and more challenging for supporters of the Mountaineers to remain loyal when they’ve been scorned so many times. West Virginia will have its 4th head coach in 4 years. How can West Virginians get behind a team that seemingly completely changes every single year? How can our state remain loyal to a coach and players in a world that no longer has reciprocal loyalty?
Now, we’ll have to watch DeVries be introduced as the new head coach at Indiana and he’ll have his fake aw-shucks persona going on, he’ll act humbled and grateful for a better opportunity, but we know the real character behind this man now.
