Arizona’s Coach Thinks WVU Should Extend Darian DeVries

First-year WVU basketball coach Darian DeVries has undoubtedly already amassed a large number of fans in Morgantown this season. As it turns out, he has at least one fan in Tucson, Arizona as well.

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd was quick to sing DeVries’s praises following the Wildcats’ 75-56 win over the Mountaineers on Tuesday night.

“Darian’s doing such a good job, he’s done an amazing job in his first year,” Lloyd said. “I know they’ve had some crazy injuries and he’s dealt with it. To be honest with you, their start has been pretty magical. You beat Arizona, you beat a Gonzaga, Kansas, are you kidding me?”

Lloyd went as far as to say that DeVries has already done enough to deserve a contract extension.

“If I were that guy’s agent I would have two more years on that contract right now,” Lloyd said. “They’ve got off to an amazing start.”

The Mountaineers have gotten off to an 11-3 start in DeVries’s first season with ranked wins over the aforementioned Arizona, Gonzaga and Kansas.

What’s made WVU’s start even more impressive is the injuries the Mountaineers have had to deal with. Tucker DeVries missed his sixth-straight game on Tuesday with an upper-body injury. Freshman guard KJ Tenner also missed Tuesday’s game. Jayden Stone hasn’t played all season with an undisclosed injury. Amani Hansberry has missed a few games, as has Eduardo Andre.

“Their coach is doing great work,” Lloyd said. “He’s putting them in the right positions and he’s been doing a great job managing games, picking matchups and calling the right set.”

DeVries signed a five-year deal with WVU in the summer worth an average of $3 million per year. His current contract runs through the 2028-29 season.

For a related story, WVU basketball cracked the Top 25 for the first time this season.