Instant Analysis: What Does Darian DeVries Bring to WVU?

West Virginia is expected to announce the hiring of Drake HC Darian DeVries on Sunday night, as ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported the two are agreeing on a five-year deal.

What does DeVries bring to West Virginia?

Drake had a top-45 offense in the country, averaging 80 points per game. The Bulldogs shot 37% from three as a team, which is 36th in the country. Drake showed efficient offense throughout the season and had a nice transition game compared to the rest of the country. DeVries’ son, Tucker, led the way by averaging 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists during his junior campaign. Drake also had contributions from Atin Wright (14.1 ppg), Darnell Brodie (11.4 ppg) and Kevin Overton (11.3 ppg).

Drake scored 80 or more points 15 times. The Bulldogs also scored 1.04 points per possession, which is in the 97 percentile. Drake had 68 possessions per 40 minutes.

DeVries had Drake play man-to-man defense 99.8% of their possessions this season. Drake rarely played press defense as well. The Bulldogs allowed 70.4 points per game, which is 126th in the country. WVU AD Wren Baker emphasized defense during his press conference earlier in the month. DeVries’ best defensive team at Drake took place in the 2022-23 season, placing 40th in adjusted defense per KenPom.

From a recruiting standpoint, DeVries has used a mixture of high school recruiting and the transfer portal to build his teams. DeVries’ best transfer during the portal era is Atin Wright, who came from Cal State Northridge last offseason and is the second-leading scorer for the Bulldogs. Tucker DeVries is the one four-star Drake has landed but other notable recruits like Joseph Yesufu, Overton and others.

DeVries leaves Drake with a 150-55 (73.2%) record over six years and now will become the 23rd men’s basketball head coach in WVU’s history.