On Sunday, WVU hired former Drake Bulldogs coach Darian DeVries to be their 23rd head coach in program history.
Having brought a plethorea of success to the university, Drake showed their appreciation for DeVries and wished him the best in his future.
“Thank you, Coach Devries,” Drake Basketball said in an X post. “He left our program in an exceptional place while making a lasting impact on Drake University and the community.”
In six years at Drake, led the Bulldogs to six-straight 20+ win seasons and four consecutive 25+ win seasons, the first in program history. On top of that, DeVries Bulldogs made three NCAA tournament appearances in 2021, 2023 and 2024. Under DeVries, Drake’s 2021 team earned the program’s first NCAA tournament win since 1971.
“I’m so appreciative of the six years that he had here and the impact that he had on so many people’s lives,” Drake athletic director Brian Hardin said Sunday night. “He just exceeded all of our expectations in terms of what was capable of being the men’s basketball coach of Drake University. And just grateful for the opportunity to have been around him and how he’s made me better as athletic director and our department better.”
Drake hired DeVries before the 2018-2019 and saw instant success, with the team going 24-10 that season. He was the Missouri Valley Conference coach of the year in both 2019 and 2021.
“In addition to winning on the court, DeVries’ teams were always active in the greater Des Moines community,” Drake Athletic Communications stated in an official press release Sunday. Â
With his wife Ashley, DeVries has two children, a son Tucker and a daughter Tatum. Tucker is expected to join his dad at WVU, he was the MVC player of the year this past season, averaging 21.6 points per game.
“Excited for him, excited for the next opportunity, there at West Virginia. You know he’ll make the most of it, I know that Mountaineer fans will grow to love him as much as Bulldogs fans did here,” Hardin said.
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