Indiana University men's basketball Head Coach Darian DeVries speaks at the introductory press conference at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fran Fraschilla Calls Out Darian DeVries for 'Cutting and Running' to Indiana

Originally posted on West Virginia Mountaineers on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated Mar 29, 2025 9:19 AM ET

This time a year ago, West Virginia fans were all on board with the hire of Darian DeVries, believing he would be the guy to get the men's basketball program back on track after an ugly ending to the Bob Huggins era and the catastrophic mess interim head coach Josh Eilert was left with.

DeVries wasted zero time gaining trust from the fan base as he took down No. 3 Gonzaga in the Battle 4 Atlantis, as well as beating Arizona in overtime. He began Big 12 play with a bang, notching West Virginia's first-ever win at Phog Allen Fieldhouse, stunning Kansas, 62-61.

It was an unfortunate end to the season with WVU being snubbed from the NCAA Tournament, but still, fans felt confident that the program was heading in the right direction, as long as they could stiff arm Indiana from poaching him, which of course, was unsuccessful.

At his introductory press conference a year ago, DeVries mentioned how it would take something special for him to leave Drake, and West Virginia happened to be that place. Was it really? Or was it just seen as a potential stepping stone for the real opportunity he wanted? The latter is what it looks like.

ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla threw a little shade DeVries' way for being a one-and-done at West Virginia while giving his thoughts on new head coach, Ross Hodge.

"A very capable ball coach, quietly super competitive and smart. And he’s got an athletic director that has total faith in him," he said of Hodge. "Don’t see him cutting and running like the last guy."

Hodge was the associate head coach at North Texas, while Wren Baker was the athletic director there. Everyone I've spoken with says that he is a man of character and is loyal to the people who are loyal and committed to him. If Hodge has early success at West Virginia, there shouldn't be any fear of him pulling a DeVries.