Darian DeVries, who developed an admiration for the Indiana Hoosiers while growing up in Iowa, is now set to lead the program. Just two days following the exclusion of both his West Virginia team and the Hoosiers from the NCAA Tournament, Indiana’s athletic director, Scott Dolson, announced DeVries’ appointment as the replacement for Mike Woodson. The 49-year-old is expected to be officially introduced during a press conference on Wednesday morning.
In a statement explaining his decision to leave the Mountaineers after a single season, DeVries expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity, saying, “This is unquestionably one of the top jobs in America. 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.”
DeVries boasts a 24-year career in college coaching and has spent the past seven years in a head coaching role. Under his guidance, West Virginia achieved a 19-13 record, a significant improvement from their previous 9-23 finish in the Big 12. Prior to this, DeVries enjoyed success in his home state with Drake, where he led the team to impressive achievements, including two Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles and two league tournament wins, culminating in a 150-55 record.
Indiana’s announcement of Woodson’s departure last month followed consecutive NCAA tournament absences, which disillusioned some of the fanbase who once admired Woodson, a former Indiana basketball star and Bob Knight protégé. Dolson emphasized that DeVries met, and even surpassed, the specific criteria sought for Woodson’s replacement, stating, “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.”
Renowned for his ability to rapidly revitalize programs, DeVries transformed West Virginia last season despite the challenges of losing key players from the previous squad. His track record at Drake stands out, where he inherited a team with only five 20-win seasons in 112 years and led them to a 24-10 record, earning a share of the MVC regular-season title and the league’s coach of the year award in his inaugural season. Over his tenure at Drake, the team consistently surpassed the 20-win mark and was among the few Division I programs to achieve 25 or more wins in each of the last four seasons.
Indiana University President Pamela Whitten expressed confidence in DeVries’ potential impact on the program, stating, “It is my expectation that our university strives for greatness in everything we do from academics to athletics. 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.”
DeVries laid the foundation for his coaching career over two decades at Creighton, where he worked alongside influential figures such as Dana Altman, now with Oregon, and Greg McDermott, the current Bluejays coach. His tenure there included 17 seasons as an assistant coach, contributing to his strong reputation in the coaching world.