Indiana formally introduced Darian DeVries as their new men’s head basketball coach on Wednesday, and DeVries is already facing some criticism over the process that led to him landing in Bloomington.
Mike Woodson stepped down as the head coach at Indiana following a 19-13 season that saw the Hoosiers miss the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year. Woodson had faced growing backlash from fans, which is why many saw the change coming even before Indiana announced it.
The big question now is when Indiana knew they were going to replace Woodson with DeVries, who just finished his first and only season at West Virginia. When asked about that on Wednesday, DeVries all but admitted that he had a handshake agreement in place with his new employer at some point during the 2024-25 season.
“Obviously, the process is the process. I know how it plays out,” DeVries told reporters. “As you’re going through their season, they were very respectful of making sure that my focus continued to be on our team. I certainly appreciated that.”
That type of thing happens all the time in college basketball and all major sports. What some fans are really in an uproar over is how DeVries’ son, Tucker DeVries, factors into the equation.
Tucker was a star player under Darian at Drake and then followed his father to West Virginia last season. The senior averaged 14.9 points per game in eight games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. He missed enough time that he was eligible for a medical redshirt, which granted him an extra season of eligibility.
Given the way everything has played out, many have theorized that Tucker — at the very least — exaggerated his injury so he could maintain eligibility and play for his father at Indiana.