On Tuesday, On3’s Jamie Shaw discussed the ongoing college basketball coaching carousel and included one active Big 12 coach being pursued for a Big Ten opening.
West Virginia’s Darian DeVries has become quite the popular name in coaching searches this season after leading the West Virginia Mountaineers to the NCAA Tournament without one of their top scorers.
Shaw listed DeVries as a candidate for the Iowa Hawkeyes job, saying, “Darian DeVries (49) is an Aplington, Iowa native who attended Northern Iowa and cut his college coaching teeth at Des Moines, Iowa-based Drake. DeVries finished first or second in the Missouri Valley in five of his six seasons with a 150-55 (73.2%) record at Drake. He is currently in year one at West Virginia, where the Mountaineers are 19-12 (10-10).”
West Virginia put together an incredibly impressive season under DeVries, who built a roster centered around a likely Third-Team All-American in Javon Small, alongside several other difference makers. The run to the NCAA Tournament also featured some adversity for the group to overcome as Tucker DeVries, Darian’s son, suffered a season-ending injury in the non-conference schedule. At the time, DeVries was averaging 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game.
Now, DeVries is one of the main focal points in the Iowa search alongside Drake’s Ben McCollum. Will the first-year Big 12 head coach dart for the Big Ten? Only time will tell, but he certainly has the resume to suggest so.
