Indiana’s hire of former West Virginia and Drake head coach Darian DeVries had generated substantial buzz across the national college basketball landscape over the last week.
What are people saying?
The common themes are while this isn’t a glamorous hire, DeVries is a hard worker who has a real chance to succeed at IU.
Here’s a sampling of what some of the more notable national reporters had to say:
CBS SPORTS’ JON ROTHSTEIN
Rothstein wrote on the hire on his College Hoops Today website:
“When big jobs are open, people tend to think about big names. Sometimes though, they don’t think about the best names,” Rothstein said. “A year ago, Kentucky’s decision to hire Mark Pope and Louisville’s decision to hire Pat Kelsey weren’t viewed as major splashes, but 12 months later things are working out more than fine. Indiana is following a similar path. The Hoosiers’ decision to hire DeVries — who did a great job for six years at Drake and one year at West Virginia — may not come with the cachet that many Indiana fans wanted, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not going to be a successful hire. Remember: Both Pope and Kelsey are single digit seeds in the NCAA Tournament in their first season at their respective schools.”
FOX SPORTS’ JOHN FANTA
Writing for Fox Sports, Fanta called the hire a home run, adding:
“This might not look like a massive splash to some right now, but it’s a really strong move in what always needed to be a priority for Indiana’s basketball program: getting a coach who has put in the work and has proven results while still being on the rise,” he said.
LONGTIME NBA VETERAN DOUG MCDERMOTT
Longtime NBA veteran Doug McDermott played at Creighton when DeVries was an assistant coach. He spoke on the Field of 68 podcast:
“His work ethic is through the roof and he’s so good with relating to people,” said McDermott. “I think he gets community, and he’s just going to work relentlessly. That’s who he is. Unbelievable coach, unbelievable competitor. I don’t see this guy losing. He’s that good.”
JEFF GOODMAN, FIELD of 68
Goodman also spoke about DeVries on the Field of 68 podcast:
“Crazy, tireless worker. Super smart,” Goodman said. “Did an incredible job this year with a West Virginia team that wasn’t very talented, especially after Tucker (DeVries) went down for the season. They did not have nearly the amount of talent to even be in the discussion for an NCAA Tournament berth. … (After several top names declined) you weren’t gonna hit a home run from a PR perspective.”
GARY PARRISH, CBS
Parrish discussed the hiring process on his own podcast:
“This is a good coach,” Parrish said. … “I bet when he was introduced at West Virginia he did think he could be there for a while. He was a longtime assistant, the he gets a mid-major job, and then suddenly you’re offered a Big 12 job, and it’s the place Bob Huggins used to coach, and you’re like ‘I’m here, I did it,’ without any idea a year later Indiana could want you. … Suddenly he was given an opportunity to get a better job, and he’s going to take it.”
MATT NORLANDER, CBS
Norlander was asked about DeVries on a CBS interview:
“DeVries is a different kind of guy from everyone they’ve had at Indiana,” Norlander said. “They’re trying a whole bunch of different combinations. They’ve haven’t had sustained success year-over-year since the Bob Knight heyday. DeVries is a Midwest guy, Indiana is a really good job. This will be intriguing. It’s got a chance to work. … I think DeVries will do well.”
ANDY KATZ, NCAA/BTN
Katz wrote about the hire on X:
“I absolutely love this hire,” Katz said. “And Scott Dolson, the athletic director, he took his time — I say take his time in this new era where there aren’t long searches because of the transfer portal. But, he got the right guy, just like he got Curt Cignetti, who delivered IU football to the College Football Playoff. DeVries is a winner, there’s no question about it.”
SAM VECENIE, THE ATHLETIC
“DeVries is a good coach. That’s a strong hire for Indiana.”
PAT FORDE, SI
“Excellent coach.”
Here’s what Dana Altman and Greg McDermott said about IU basketball’s Darian DeVries
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