Indiana announced just last night that they hired West Virginia coach Darian DeVries to be the next, the 31st basketball coach for the Indiana Hoosiers. DeVries comes to Indiana with seven years of head coaching experience, but even more than that as an assistant coach when he was with Creighton.
DeVries was introduced to the media and the Indiana fanbase today in his introductory press conference, and it seems like this is going to be a perfect fit on both ends. DeVries was born in Iowa, so is a Midwest native and grew up watching Big 8 and Big 10 basketball, so he is very familiar with the Hoosiers.
The Iowa native said when he took the West Virginia head coaching position a year ago, his plan was to stay and grow with that program; however, when the Indiana job came, it was something he simply could not pass up.
"The opportunity came along to possibly be the head coach at Indiana, a dream job for anyone, but especially for someone that grew up in the Midwest watching the old Big 8 and Bit 10 basketball," DeVries said in his introductory press conference.
While this is a dream job, DeVries probably would not have taken it had he not seen potential in the program, potential with the players, and potential to grow as a head coach.
"The chance to lead one of the biggest brands in college basketball was something I could not pass up," DeVries said.
"The chance to lead one of the biggest brands in college basketball was something I could not pass up." 🗣️@IndianaMBB's new head coach Darian DeVries on why he chose the Hoosiers 👇#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/wOa2spnuP6
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 19, 2025
It is true Indiana's basketball brand is certainly bigger than that of West Virginia, simply from the history the Hoosiers have on the court. Indiana also puts a lot more money into the NIL programs than West Virginia does, so DeVries has more money to play with here as well.
"We have an administration here that is 100% in alignment with navigating through this whole new era of college athletics, from the top down," DeVries said. "There's no doubt that there's an extreme commitment to making sure we are on the upper edge of all of that."
DeVries may come in and make a lot of changes, but one of the first things he is going to do is meet with each player that is in the building and see where they stand with the program and if they would like to stay with the Hoosiers.
DeVries no doubt will bring in players of his own, one being his son Tucker DeVries, who transferred to West Virginia last season when his father took the position. DeVries also has recruits at West Virginia who might be more inclined to check out Indiana now that the coach they commit to play for has moved.
DeVries is going to try and keep this program on track from here on out, knowing the history it brings to college basketball. He hopes to rise many banners at Indiana, but he has a lot of work to do before then.