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Indiana basketball has its next head coach.
The Hoosiers have officially hired Darian DeVries as their next coach. The deal was announced on Tuesday afternoon.
“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.”
DeVries, an Iowa native, had previously been linked to the Iowa opening but will be headed to Bloomington instead. He replaces Mike Woodson, who spent 4 years with the Hoosiers but never made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament with IU.
DeVries spent just 1 year at West Virginia. He took the WVU job last offseason after a successful stint as Drake’s head coach. His WVU team was snubbed from the NCAA Tournament this season, but he previously led Drake to the Round of 64 3 times over a 4-year span.
DeVries continues a recent trend of top programs hiring coaches without extensive March Madness success. Last offseason, Kentucky hired Mark Pope and Louisville hired Pat Kelsey. Neither Pope or Kelsey have won a Round of 64 game — although both will be favored in their opening-round contests this week.
“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,” 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.”
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
