IU’s administration details why Darian DeVries was chosen as head coach
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — IU introduced their new men’s basketball head coach, Darian DeVries.
DeVries was clear that the administration is all in alignment and the commitment and resources are there to build a winner. He said his job now is to make that happen.
Another main emphasis was being process oriented.
“We want to build something that is sustainable for a long period of time, and we will do that by staying true to what this program is about,” DeVries said.
In terms of roster construction, he explained that his focus is on building a team, not just a collection of players.
“A team has to be able to fit together, play together, win together, be able to function together,” DeVries said.
IU athletic director Scott Dolson gave two reasons why DeVries was singled out as the ideal candidate. The first was his winning percentage in games decided by five points or less, which DeVries has been very successful in. The second thing was that he coaches a modern offense and has a tough, blue collar defense.
“It fits here,” Dolson said about DeVries’ style. “One of the things that we learned, recruits really want to play in the type of system he runs, and that was evident, as well.”
IU president Pamela Whitten listed three traits that they were looking for in a new head coach: being a great coach, knowing how to win, and demonstrating a knowledge of how to be a CEO of a basketball organization.
“Now, I will also tell you that these students want to win, so let’s go get them some banners, as well,” Whitten said.
DeVries was previously a head coach at West Virginia and Drake.
He spent one season at West Virginia in 2024-25, where the Mountaineers went 19-13 and were controversially the first team out out of the NCAA Tournament. In his one season there, West Virginia won at Kansas and beat three other top eight seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
In DeVries’ six seasons as the head coach at Drake, he won at least 20 games in every season. He led the Bulldogs to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including one at-large berth.
Before his first head coaching job at Drake, DeVries was an assistant coach at Creighton for 17 years and spent 20 seasons on the staff at Creighton. He coached under Dana Altman and Greg McDermott there.
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