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Darian DeVries

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American basketball player and coach

Darian DeVries
DeVries in 2023
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamWest Virginia
ConferenceBig 12
Record5–2 (.714)
Biographical details
Born (1975-04-07) April 7, 1975 (age 49)
Aplington, Iowa, U.S.
Playing career
1994–1998Northern Iowa
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2001–2018Creighton (assistant)
2018–2024Drake
2024–presentWest Virginia
Head coaching record
Overall152–56 (.731)
Tournaments1–3 (NCAA Division I)
1–1 (CBI)
0–1 (CIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2 MVC tournament (2023, 2024)
MVC regular season (2019)
Awards
Hugh Durham Award (2019)
2× MVC Coach of the Year (2019, 2021)

Darian Dale DeVries (born April 7, 1975) is the head men's basketball coach at West Virginia University. He was previously the head coach at Drake University from 2018 to 2024.

Early life

DeVries was born and raised in Aplington, Iowa. The oldest of five siblings, he played basketball and football at Aplington High School for three years before graduating from the merged Aplington-Parkersburg High School in 1993.

Coaching history

DeVries played collegiately at Northern Iowa. After graduating, he joined Creighton University as a graduate manager in its men's basketball program. After three seasons as a graduate manager, DeVries was named assistant coach in 2001. He stayed with Creighton following the departure of Dana Altman and the hire of Greg McDermott.

DeVries became a head coach for the first time when he accepted the job at former conference rival Drake in March 2018.

DeVries' helped the Bulldogs program start the season with 9–2 record, the program's best open to a season since 2007–08. The Bulldogs win over Valparaiso Feb. 16 was the team's 20th win of the season to mark the sixth 20-win season in program history. This accomplishment came after inheriting the second-fewest returning letterwinners in the nation.

Following that start, starting point guard and potential MVC Larry Bird Player of the Year candidate Nick Norton suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the MVC season. DeVries' team proceeded to win four of its next five games to move into a tie for third place in the league standings. At the close of the 2018–19 season, he was named MVC Coach of the Year.

In his next season, DeVries made history as the first coach to lead an 8-seed to a win over the 1-seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament ("Arch Madness"), defeating UNI 77–56.

DeVries' success at Drake continued in the 2020–2021 season where he took the team to a 18–0 start which included the Bulldogs' inclusion in the AP Top 25 poll. After losing two of their top players to injury, DeVries' led Drake to their first at-large NCAA Tournament bid in years, and their first NCAA tournament win in 50 years to the day with a win over former Valley foe Wichita State. DeVries was also named MVC Coach of the Year for the second time in three years. In March 2021, DeVries signed an 8-year contract extension with Drake, keeping him in Des Moines through the 2028–29 season.

DeVries achieved his 100th win on November 21, 2022, at the US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam against Tarleton State.

On March 24, 2024, West Virginia hired DeVries as its next head basketball coach, replacing interim coach Josh Eilert.

Personal life

DeVries is the older brother of former University of Iowa All-American and NFL defensive end Jared DeVries.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Drake Bulldogs (Missouri Valley Conference) (2018–2024)
2018–19 Drake 24–10 12–6 T–1st CIT First Round
2019–20 Drake 20–14 8–10 8th Postseason Cancelled
2020–21 Drake 26–5 15–3 2nd NCAA Division I Round of 64
2021–22 Drake 25–11 13–5 T–2nd CBI Quarterfinals
2022–23 Drake 27–8 15–5 2nd NCAA Division I Round of 64
2023–24 Drake 28–7 16–4 2nd NCAA Division I Round of 64
Drake: 150–55 (.732) 78–33 (.703)
West Virginia Mountaineers (Big 12 Conference) (2024–present)
2024–25 West Virginia 5–2 0–0
West Virginia: 5–2 (.714) 0–0 (–)
Total: 152–56 (.731)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. Bain, Matthew (March 30, 2018). "How Darian DeVries, a clever kid from Aplington, Iowa, became Drake's head coach". Des Moines Register. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ Darian DeVries Named Drake Men's Basketball Head Coach
  4. "Drake's Darian DeVries is Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. March 7, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  5. "Drake upsets top-seeded UNI at Arch Madness". March 6, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  6. "Drake Announces Contract Extension For Head Men's Basketball Coach Darian DeVries". godrakebulldogs.com. March 17, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  7. Messerly, Bryan. "DeVries Named West Virginia Head Men's Basketball Coach". West Virginia University Athletics. Retrieved March 25, 2024.

External links

Men's basketball head coaches of the Big 12 Conference
Links to related articles
Drake Bulldogs men's basketball head coaches

# denotes interim head coach

West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball head coaches

# denotes interim head coach

Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year
Hugh Durham Award winners
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