Darian DeVries has the perfect response to Indiana's Bobby Knight statue plans

There's no reason to go into the unfortunate mess that led to Indiana parting ways with Bobby Knight. It was a series of incidents that showed poor judgment and left a trail of tragedy that probably still haunts Hoosiers basketball to this day.

But Knight was a special coach that won three national championships with the Hoosiers and was one of the greatest teachers of basketball that ever existed. It's right that the school honors him with a statue and Darian DeVries couldn't be more supportive of the plans.

"I think it's great. I think any way you can honor, especially Coach Knight and the greats that have played here. I think that's something that is well deserved, and it's great that it's going to be recognized," DeVries said.

Darian DeVries puts support behind planned Knight statue

If we're being honest here, DeVries public support wouldn't matter either way. Knight remains an iconic figure among Hoosiers and his teams, the national championship squads from 1976, 1981 and 1987, and others that reached the Final Four or won Big Ten championships. But DeVries is no fool and being supportive of Knight's accomplishments at Indiana is the right way to go, regardless of how things ended.

DeVries' first season at Indiana has been promising so far. The Hoosiers are 17-8 (8-6 in conference) and sitting at 35th on KenPom, which probably keeps them safely inside the bubble to make the tournament. Senior Lamar Wilkerson is once again a top player in the conference and is coming off of a tremendous 41-point performance Monday night against Oregon.

The Hoosiers are still looking for that season-defining win, and they have got three shots at it over the next three weeks with road games against Illinois (Sunday) and Purdue (February 20) and a home game against Michigan State on March 1.