West Virginia Mountaineers guard Tucker DeVries (12) drives to the basket as Arizona Wildcats forward Carter Bryant (9) defends during the second half at Imperial Arena at the Atlantis resort. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. With Indiana men’s basketball announcing its new hire Tuesday, there’s a big prize that could come with Darian DeVries the coach.
That would be DeVries the son, Tucker DeVries. Reports are already surfacing that Tucker DeVries might transfer to Indiana to play for his father. Tucker DeVries has played his entire career for his father.
In three years at Drake and one at West Virginia, Tucker DeVries averaged 17.7 points and 4.8 rebounds.
Tucker DeVries only played eight games with West Virginia. He suffered an undisclosed upper body injury in December and sat out the rest of the season. So he should qualify for a medical waiver to play one more season.
If Indiana fans want someone who shoots threes, he’s your guy – Tucker DeVries has never shot fewer than 6.1 per game in any season. Overall, DeVries averaged 13.7 shots per game. Darian DeVries was not shy about running his offense at Drake and West Virginia through his son. He is a volume shooter.
Drake Bulldogs guard Tucker DeVries (12) celebrates with head coach Darian DeVries during the second half against the Bradley Braves in the finals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Enterprise Center. / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
As far as 3-point accuracy, Tucker DeVries was off to his best career start, by far, with the Mountaineers before his injury shut him down. Tucker DeVries made 47.3% from 3-point range on 6.9 attempts per game. DeVries produced nearly 10 points per game from the 3-point line alone.
Tucker DeVries also frequently gets to the free throw line. He has averaged 4.2 attempts and is an 81.3% free throw shooter.
If healthy, and if he’s interested in playing at Indiana, Tucker DeVries would be an asset for the Hoosiers.
But what about building the rest of the roster? DeVries is fresh off a rebuild at West Virginia. He was hired at West Virginia and essentially had to start from scratch after a season of turmoil which saw the preseason departure of Bob Huggins in the preseason of the 2023-24 season.
Nearly all of DeVries players at West Virginia were transfers. One place DeVries went to recruit was Illinois, as former llini players Sencire Harris and Amani Hansberry came to Morgantown. Hansberry was the more impactful player as he averaged 9.8 points and 6.5 rebounds. Harris started every West Virginia game and averaged 5.9 points.
West Virginia Mountaineers guard Jonathan Powell (11) reacts to the crowd in the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first half at Fifth Third Arena. / Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
Harris was an exception on the West Virginia team as he was one of the few non-3-point shooters DeVries added to the roster. Five Mountaineers – Javon Small, Tucker DeVries, Jonathan Powell, Joe Yesufu and Hansberry all took at least ? 3-point attempts per game.
Powell, recruited by Indiana in 2023, is a player to keep an eye on. He has three years of eligibility left as he averaged 8.3 points and converted 35.2% of his 3-point shots. He was a high school teammate of Gabe Cupps at Centerville (Ohio) High School. Cupps entered the transfer portal on Tuesday.
Small would have been an intriguing player for the Hoosiers, but he’s out of eligibility. However, he provides a window into what Darian DeVries values.
An honorable mention All-American, Small went to West Virginia by way of Oklahoma State and East Carolina. One of the best point guards in the country, Small averaged 18.6 points, 5.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds.
Darian DeVries values point guard play, and he likes to get his point guards with Indiana-based lineage. Small is a South Bend, Ind., native. His point guard for most of his time at Drake was Roman Penn, who was from Calumet City, Ill., just over the state line from northwest Indiana. Penn played his summer ball with northwest Indiana players.
As far as post players are concerned, Eduardo Andre, who is 6-foot-11, was the only player over 6-foot-8 who played for the Mountaineers in 2025. Darian DeVries has preferred to get his rebounds from power forwards through most of his coaching career.
One exception is 7-footer Liam Robbins, who played for DeVries at Drake before he transferred to Minnesota and then Vanderbilt. Robbins now plays in the NBA.
Tucker DeVries could be the big prize, but Darian DeVries has been effective at unearthing players that help his teams win.
