Darian DeVries Wants to Build Long-Term Culture at West Virginia

WVU HC Darian DeVries is set to begin a new era of Mountaineer Basketball. DeVries will need to fill out his coaching staff while recruiting the transfer portal to complete a roster for the 2024-25 season.

DeVries will have to form a short-term winning plan this spring through the portal before transitioning into a long-term plan with high school recruiting. DeVries wants to build a new culture at West Virginia.

“We will have a locker room full of winners,” DeVries said on Thursday. “When they leave here, we don’t want him leaving here just as good basketball players but as great men.”

“We want players that want to be at West Virginia. We want players that want to be here because they want to be what we have here: this fanbase, this community, this school. They want to be a part of our program and embrace that,” he added.

DeVries has his first recruit in his son Tucker – the reigning back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. Tucker averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Bulldogs this past season. DeVries still has six scholarship players from West Virginia’s current roster from Josh Eilert’s staff. WVU has only lost senior guard Kerr Kriisa and junior guard Seth Wilson to the portal.

Between coaching staff and players, there will be a natural turnover within the program. DeVries is ready for that challenge.

“I understand the responsibility of being the men’s basketball coach here at West Virginia. We will do everything we can to make you proud,” he said. “We’re going to do it with integrity, we’re going to do it the right way, we’re going to work hard.”

WVU AD Wren Baker talked about building culture at the beginning of the coaching search. West Virginia has built their rosters mostly through the transfer portal the last two years. Baker wants to see a long-term plan be put into place and DeVries plans on it.

“From a portal and high school perspective, we will do a combination of both,” DeVries said. “The portal is incredibly important but we’re also not losing sight of building within. Find very talented high school players that want to be here, fit this and then retain them.”

WV Sports Now will keep you up to date on the latest transfer portal recruiting news for West Virginia.