MIKE BURKE
Allegany Communications Sports
One and done. Darian DeVries is going from one program, West Virginia, that got hosed by the NCAA to another program, Indiana, that got hosed by the NCAA as well.
Real bad week for West Virginia basketball.
What are the odds you would have told a West Virginia fan just short of a year ago that he’d be angry with Darian DeVries but would have forgiven Rich Rodriguez?
The forgiving Rich Rodriguez part would be more believable because it seemed as though that process had begun one Neal Brown ago. But seeing how DeVries had just been hired as the Mountaineers’ men’s basketball coach on March 24 of last year after a terrific six-year stint at Drake University (150 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances), not only would there have been no time to be angry with him (unlike Dan Dakich), but WVU fans were generally very pleased to have him.
Then, for the better part of 24 hours, they rallied around him and the Mountaineers after their fine first season together, only to have it end abruptly and unjustly by the NCAA, which followed its greed and cronyism to genuflect to the blue blood of North Carolina.
Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson announced Tuesday night he had hired the 49-year-old DeVries to replace Mike Woodson, and that DeVries is scheduled to be introduced this morning at a news conference.
“This is unquestionably one of the top jobs in America,” 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.”
It’s not the first statement, or even the second, that DeVries has issued this week.
In wake of the Mountaineers being snubbed on Sunday by the NCAA, both athletic director Wren Baker and DeVries issued statements, and then again on Monday when WVU announced the Mountaineers would not be playing in any postseason tournaments.
While Baker made mention of his feelings of promise for next season in both of his statements, DeVries made no mention of next season in either of his. Of course, that’s because he was headed to his native Iowa to talk about next season with the Hawkeyes, and then to Bloomington to talk with the Hoosiers.
He also reportedly had an extension and raise on the table from West Virginia for weeks, but, obviously, never signed it.
Baker had been trying to calm the storm for the previous 24 hours, stressing he and DeVries had an understanding of what it was going to take to make the Mountaineers a Big 12 and national contender – NIL money, and more – and that fans had to understand that other schools hitting on their coach was a sure sign that they had a good coach.
Tuesday night, following the IU announcement, Baker released the following statement:
“Coach DeVries informed me of his plans to accept the head coaching position at another institution.
“Coach and I had several conversations in recent weeks focused on working together to build on a strong foundation and continue to grow our program. I made it clear to him that WVU is committed to invest in him and provide the resources needed to compete in the Big 12 and nationally. Ultimately, he decided to move on, and I want to thank him for his time at WVU.
“We have an outstanding basketball tradition with some of the most loyal and passionate fans in college basketball. We have tremendously generous supporters and a great partnership with the University that allow us to compete in this new era of college athletics. The alignment between the leadership of our Board of Governors, the University and Athletics Department is strong, and I am confident our momentum will continue as we work diligently to identify the next leader of our men’s basketball program.”
Already the conspiracy theories abound, beginning with Tucker DeVries not really being injured (even though he had surgery in February), but only playing eight games this season so he could gain a fifth-year redshirt and play for his dad next season at Indiana.
(Should Tucker DeVries receive that redshirt it will be because he only played eight games, which makes the statement of NCAA Tournament committee chairman and North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham of DeVries’ season-ending injury being the reason West Virginia was left out of the tournament even more absurd. What? WVU was supposed to end the season after eight games when DeVries got hurt?)
Here are some things WVU fans have to keep in mind: Bob Huggins left Kansas State after just one year to return home to coach West Virginia, so it works both ways, particularly in this day and age; but it’s certainly no fun when you’re the one saying goodbye – again, unless it’s to Dan Dakich.
Also, West Virginia did all it could do to keep DeVries. There was no way WVU would have been outspent in NIL money by Iowa. Indiana, on the other hand, spent more NIL money this year than any other school, which is not a black eye on West Virginia’s reputation. Most coaches would take the Indiana job in a heartbeat.
Thus, it is time to trust Baker again to make another good hire, and he hasn’t missed yet. Since becoming athletic director just 28 months ago, Baker hired Mark Kellog as the new women’s basketball coach, and in the biggest secret in Morgantown this week, he has WVU back in the NCAA Tournament.
Next Baker had to deal with the Bob Huggins horror film and then hired DeVries before welcoming back the aforementioned Rich Rodriguez with open arms
So far, it’s safe to say, it’s worked out pretty well, and it’s going to again.
It has not been a good week for West Virginia men’s basketball, beginning with the loss to last-place Colorado in the Big 12 Tournament, which everyone knew was going to sit there all weekend like a Baby Ruth in a punch bowl, with North Carolina winning twice in the ACC tournament not helping matters.
WVU, though, was swindled, and West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced an investigation into the NCAA’s selection committee, which will neither change nor uncover anything, because when you put these decisions into the NCAA’s hands, as WVU did, you’re likely not going to like the outcome, particularly if your bloodline isn’t blue and your uniforms don’t match the color of the sky.
Take that from an old ACC guy.
But at least the West Virginia governor stood up for the state team. Which is more than we can say for the head coach.
Mike Burke writes about sports and other stuff for Allegany Communications. He began covering sports for the Prince George’s Sentinel in 1981 and joined the Cumberland Times-News sports staff in 1984, serving as sports editor for over 30 years. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @MikeBurkeMDT