Darian DeVries’ Thoughts On Indiana’s Size Fits His Past Roster Construction Pattern

If there’s a common theme to Indiana fans’ concerns about the roster being put together by first-year men’s basketball coach Darian DeVries, it’s lack of size.

Reed Bailey (6-foot-11) is the only player taller than 6-foot-8 on Indiana’s roster at present. Sam Alexis (6-8) and Josh Harris (6-8) are next tallest.

That has some Indiana fans worried. How will Indiana cope against Big Ten frontcourts?

DeVries isn’t worried.

“Actually, I feel really good about the five. I like the guys we have, I think they fit how we want to play offensively. I think they have the ability to really have the ball in their hands and be facilitators and playmakers. I think we have good depth there. I like what those guys are going to bring,” DeVries said Wednesday at the Hoosiers Connect fundraiser at Huber’s.

If you think DeVries is just saying that to support his guys or defend the roster he’s constructed, that’s possible. But the lack of size on the roster follows a pattern he’s established as a head coach.

With his teams at Drake and in his one season at West Virginia, DeVries always had at least one player who was 6-foot-10 and 207 pounds. Or a big man who was at least 244 pounds.

Each one of them was a plus-defender by the standard of defensive box-minus, an advanced statistic that attempts to determine defensive impact when a player is on the floor.

Bailey nearly fits that description, though he was a zero in defensive box plus-minus at Davidson. That is not the lowest number in defensive box-plus minus as it utilizes negative numbers. At zero, Bailey would be average by that measure.

However, DeVries rarely has had more than one player who fit that description. Other big men had to be versatile and stretch the floor. Bailey fits that description for the Hoosiers to a tee.

DeVries has got his defensive box plus-minus from Alexis, who was a plus-2.5 at Florida.

“There will be nights that they'll be undersized on the defensive end, but there's a lot of ways to offset that. Size doesn't always determine how effective you can be as a defender or offensive player, so the right mindset goes a long way, and I think our guys will bring that mindset,” DeVries stressed.

Some Indiana fans might be skeptical. The best Big Ten frontcourts combine athleticism, size and skill in a way DeVries never would have coached against at Drake. In his one season at a major conference school, West Virginia ranked 14th in the Big 12 in rebounding and 15th in personal fouls in conference play.

However, the Mountaineers also ranked fifth in field goal percentage and blocked shots, and sixth in two-point shots made per game. Something was working in the frontcourt.

As for rim protection, DeVries defended his methods.

“I don't anticipate us having great rim protection. Like I said, we're a little undersized at the five spots, but there's a lot of different ways to have rim protection. It isn't always blocked shots. There's a lot of ways to protect the rim. So I think overall, on paper, I like the balance we have,” DeVries said.

And, of course, DeVries has shooters in excelsis, including big men like Bailey, who converted 41.5% from 3-point range at Davidson.

After years of ball-dominant, traditional big men like Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kel’El Ware and Oumar Ballo, Indiana fans will have to get used to a different philosophy.