A controversial March Madness snub on Sunday and losing your first-year coach on Wednesday? It’s been a cruel 72 hours for West Virginia basketball after Darian DeVries dipped for the Indiana gig after just one season In Morgantown.
Devries was announced on Tuesday and held his introductory press conference on Wednesday. Things moved fast.
All eyes are on what’s next for an Indiana program that is desperate to return to the top of the Big Ten.
Tucker DeVries joining in Bloomington
The first move for DeVries is cut and dry. His son, Tucker, entered the transfer portal Wednesday with a “do not contact” tag. The two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year will follow his dad to Indiana to give the Hoosiers a 6-foot-7, sweet-shooting wing who can be one of the best players in the Big Ten next year, if healthy.
Roster retention at Indiana
DeVries also inherits a $5 million roster with real talent. Big man Malik Reneau entered the transfer portal this week and is not expected to be back in Bloomington, but point guard Myles Rice and big wing Mackenzie Mgbako both have eligibility and are big-name talents. DeVries could also try to revive the careers of two former heralded recruits: Bryson Tucker and Kanaan Carlyle.
There are a litany of examples of a new coach retaining old faces and helping them transform into better versions of themselves. Dusty May kept Will Tschetter and Nimari Burnett who have been valuable role players for the No. 5 seed Wolverines. The best example may be when Jerome Tang retained Markquis Nowell and he tuned into an All-American in their first season together at Kansas State in 2023.
If DeVries wants a fresh start from a roster perspective, no one would blame him. But point guard Javon Small turned into an All-American candidate at West Virginia. That could be an intriguing marriage for a former prized transfer like Rice, a pick-and-roll maestro at Washington State, who struggled with confidence on an Indiana roster that didn’t have enough shooting. With Tucker DeVries in the fold, the new iteration of Indiana basketball will already have a better net-shredder than anyone on Mike Woodson’s last roster.
Recruiting dominoes loom
The recruiting fallout for West Virginia has already begun as two of the three Mountaineer signees have already requested their release in Kelvin Odih and Trent MacLean. It’s not a given that both will follow DeVries to Indiana but Oldih is a likely choice to come with DeVries to Bloomington.
West Virginia’s biggest signee to monitor is Braydon Hawthorne, the No. 71 overall-ranked recruit in the class. Hawthorne Is expected to climb up in the rankings before It Is all said and done. Hawthorne has been the biggest stock riser during the 2024-25 high school season and is on a steep upward trajectory with immense talent and potential.
The destination of assistant coach Chester Frazier is expected to play a big role in whether Hawthorne stays with West Virginia or makes the move to Bloomington as well.
As for Indiana recruits, they have one signee right now in Hoosier State native Trent Sisley. Sisley should be a priority to keep on board with the program given his ties to the state and his ability to contribute to winning that he showed at Montverde Academy. If Devries puts in the effort in his first days in Bloomington to keep Sisley on board, the expectation Is that he won’t reopen his recruitment.
MORE: West Virginia Coaching Hot Board
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