Darian DeVries has officially been named the next head men’s basketball coach at Indiana. DeVries spent the past season at West Virginia, going 19-13 (10-10 Big 12), and before that was 150-55 in six seasons at the helm at Drake, a tenure that included three NCAA Tournament appearances and one MVC title.
“We went into this coaching search with some very specific things we were looking for in our next head coach, and Darian emerged as someone who, on paper, met and often exceeded our criteria,” AD Scott Dolson said. “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. He has extensive D-1 coaching experience that includes 15 trips to the NCAA Tournament as a head coach or as an assistant. This past season at West Virginia, he inherited a last-place Big 12 team with no significant contributors returning, and managed to more than double its win total despite a pair of significant season-ending injuries. Finally, he is passionate about the opportunity to lead our program. We are excited to welcome Darian and the entire DeVries family to our Hoosier family.”
DeVries leaves West Virginia after just one season to move back to the Midwest. The Iowa-native played at Northern Iowa and spent the first seventeen years of his coaching career on the staff at Creighton before getting the Drake job in 2018. He won the Hugh Durham Award in 2019 and was twice named Missouri Valley Coach of the Year (2019 and 2021).
“This is unquestionably one of the top jobs in America. 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,” DeVries said. “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.”
Indiana was previously coached by long-time NBA coach and Hoosier legend Mike Woodson, who announced his resignation mid-season and finished his four-year tenure with an 82-53 record. The Hoosiers made the NCAA Tournament in his first two years but missed it in the last two, joining DeVries and the Mountaineers as the first two teams out of the 2025 dance.
credit to Indiana Athletics for the image