Indiana formally introduced Darian DeVries as their new men’s head basketball coach on Wednesday, and DeVries is already facing some criticism over the process that led to him landing in Bloomington.
Mike Woodson stepped down as the head coach at Indiana following a 19-13 season that saw the Hoosiers miss the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year. Woodson had faced growing backlash from fans, which is why many saw the change coming even before Indiana announced it.
The big question now is when Indiana knew they were going to replace Woodson with DeVries, who just finished his first and only season at West Virginia. When asked about that on Wednesday, DeVries all but admitted that he had a handshake agreement in place with his new employer at some point during the 2024-25 season.
“Obviously, the process is the process. I know how it plays out,” DeVries told reporters. “As you’re going through their season, they were very respectful of making sure that my focus continued to be on our team. I certainly appreciated that.”
Here it is…. Darian DeVries openly admitting this was done during the season. There’s no denying they flat out held Tucker back to save him for next season at Indiana. pic.twitter.com/SqqifxH8Pi
— Ben Booth (@TheBenBoothShow) March 19, 2025
That type of thing happens all the time in college basketball and all major sports. What some fans are really in an uproar over is how DeVries’ son, Tucker DeVries, factors into the equation.
Tucker was a star player under Darian at Drake and then followed his father to West Virginia last season. The senior averaged 14.9 points per game in eight games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. He missed enough time that he was eligible for a medical redshirt, which granted him an extra season of eligibility.
Given the way everything has played out, many have theorized that Tucker — at the very least — exaggerated his injury so he could maintain eligibility and play for his father at Indiana.
Tucker DeVries faked a shoulder injury to milk NIL money from WVU and to get another year of eligibility when Indiana tampered with him and his father in the Bahamas.
— Casey Legg Enthusiast (@LeggEnjoyer) March 18, 2025
This is what college sports has become.
I’m 100% positive you will never hear about Tucker DeVries mysterious shoulder injury ever again.
— Drew Schifino (@drewfino15) March 19, 2025
So the Tucker DeVries “injury” to preserve another year of eligibility and the Darien DeVries Indiana job offer all happened in the Bahamas? Got it.
— Jeff Ruff (@jeff_ruff) March 20, 2025
Tucker has not yet committed to Indiana, but he officially entered the transfer portal on Wednesday. It would be a shock if he does not wind up in Bloomington.
Though he underwent surgery on his shoulder, reports have been that it was a minimally invasive arthroscopic procedure that did not reveal any major issues.
Obviously, the fact that Tucker was getting NIL money from West Virginia makes the situation even more shady.
The shoulder injury could be a total coincidence, but very few people believe that. If Tucker truly did have an injury that forced him to miss enough games to earn an additional year of eligibility, it sounds like the timing could not have worked out any better for him.
