DeVries had the leadership, experience West Virginia wanted
West Virginia hired Darian DeVries as the school’s 23rd head men’s basketball coach.
It was a process that centered on the former leader of the Drake process and ended with Athletic Director Wren Baker landing his key target in a relatively short period of time from when the two first met in person and when he signed his contract.
“I’m glad to have this behind us. I’m really happy where it ended up,” Baker said.
The Mountaineers entered this search looking for a proven winner that has been a head coach to handle the complexities that come with the transfer portal and name, image and likeness. That made assistant coaches less likely for the job and placed a focus on how coaches had fared in those areas.
“There’s always a risk when you hire an assistant, but the job has become so much harder and more complex today,” Baker said.
That’s especially true when it comes to the ever-evolving college landscape as there aren’t a lot of ways to prove how an assistant can manage those changes.
DeVries has spent six years in that role leading the Bulldogs to a 150-55 record during that time. It was a good for what West Virginia wanted not only on the floor, but in terms of what the program needed.
Coming off a disappointing 9-23 campaign under interim head coach Josh Eilert and following in the footsteps of the legendary Bob Huggins, the program needed stability. The type that comes with a proven head coach.
West Virginia needed a more seasoned option on the bench especially in the realm of confidence to see a process through to turn things around.
That’s where prior experience in that leadership seat comes in handy and it allows those that have been through it to fall back on their principles to see things through.
“The expectations, how important it is to the athletic department as a whole and you put a value on experience,” Baker said.
Nothing beats experience and that was especially true when it came to finding DeVries.
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