WVU head coach Darian DeVries received high praise from ESPN analyst Jay Bilas. Bilas goes as far as to say he has no doubt that DeVries will be successful at West Virginia.
“Darian DeVries is a proven leader and basketball, and one of the brightest young coaches in the game. He took his experience working under Dana Altman and Greg McDermott to another level as head coach at Drake, and there’s no doubt that he will be a success at West Virginia. Darian has put his time in and he is the real thing,” Bilas said. “West Virginia found the right coach in Darian DeVries.”
DeVries built a program of consistency during his six seasons at Drake. The Bulldogs won 20-plus games in each of DeVries’ seasons at the helm, with three NCAA Tournament appearances. Drake has one March win from the play-in game vs. Wichita State in 2021. The Bulldogs returned to the tournament this season, falling to 7-seed Washington State on Thursday.
Drake finished with a 28-7 record this season, going 16-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference and then winning the MVC Tournament. Drake had a top-45 offense in the country, averaging 80 points per game. The Bulldogs shot 37% from three as a team, which is 36th in the country. Drake allowed 70.4 points per contest this past season.
DeVries leaves Drake with a 150-55 (73.2%) record over six years.
More must-reads: