Darian DeVries is taking that country road out of West Virginia.
DeVries was officially named the new head coach at Indiana on Tuesday just days after his former team, West Virginia, was felt to have been snubbed from the NCAA Tournament.
“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,” Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson said in a statement. “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.”
DeVries had helped lead the Mountaineers to a 19-13 record in his lone season in Morgantown and a 10-10 mark against Big 12 opponents, but West Virginia still found itself on the outside looking in when the March Madness bracket was revealed on Sunday night.
DeVries had been hired in March 2024 to replace interim head coach Josh Eilert – the temporary coach put in place for Bob Huggins after he resigned in June 2023 – after spending six seasons as the head coach at Drake.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
The Post has you covered with a printable NCAA bracket featuring the full 68-team March Madness 2025 field.
The former West Virginia coach had signed a five-year deal when he was hired for the job in Morgantown and ESPN reported that the buyout for DeVries contract is expected to be $6.15 million, with the breakdown being $4.67 million just to buyout the remainder of the deal and additional costs that were incurred during his hiring at WVU.
DeVries is taking over for outgoing coach Mike Woodson, who had announced in February that he would be stepping down at the end of the Indiana season.
Indiana has not had much sustained success in recent memory with the program advancing past the first weekend in the NCAA Tournament just three times since they reached the national championship game in 2002.