West Virginia finally has a permanent head coach following the tumultuous departure of Bob Huggins last year.
The Mountaineers have signed Drake head coach Darian DeVries to a five-year contract, the program announced Sunday afternoon.
“Coach DeVries is a phenomenal basketball coach and an even better human being, and he has all the qualities we were looking for in the next leader of our men's basketball program,” West Virginia athletic director Len Baker said in a statement. ” “His teams play hard and smart and are efficient on both ends of the floor. He has proven to be excellent at recruiting and developing players, but more importantly, he builds character in the young men he coaches. It’s about being an honest leader who develops.”
DeVries' son, Tucker DeVries, will also transfer to West Virginia with his father. According to Field of 68's Jeff Goodman. Tucker averaged 21.6 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Bulldogs last season, both career highs.
DeVries will play at West Virginia next fall in place of Josh Eilert. Eilert was promoted to interim head coach of the team after Huggins resigned last spring following a series of incidents, including a gay slur in a radio interview and an arrest for drunk driving.
West Virginia then decided to wait until after this season to resume its national search for a new head coach, with Eilert remaining at the helm of the program in the meantime. But it didn't work.
The Mountaineers finished the year with just 9 wins and 23 losses this season, losing 10 of their last 11 games. After Huggins' departure, they dealt with some significant injuries, suspensions, eligibility issues, and departures, which made Eilert's job even more difficult. So after losing to Cincinnati in the Big 12 Tournament earlier this month, the school opted to part ways with him and restart a national search for a new head coach.
DeVries, who played at Northern Iowa, spent his final six seasons at Drake, his first head coaching job. He led the Bulldogs to his third NCAA tournament in the past four years, and the Missouri Valley won back-to-back championships in his conference tournament. The Bulldogs went 28-7 this season — their fourth straight year with 25 or more wins — before losing to Washington State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. DeVries had a 150-55 overall record in Des Moines.
Restoring West Virginia after 16 solid years under Huggins won't be easy, but at least it now has a permanent head coach. DeVries has built Drake into a very solid mid-major program in recent years, and now he's looking to do the same in the Big 12.
“I am honored to lead this historic program with an outstanding tradition and passionate fan base,” DeVries said in a statement. “Game days at the WVU Coliseum are legendary, and the Mountaineer is known nationally for his great support of basketball. I look forward to building on the program's success.”
