Newly Committed WVU F Tucker DeVries Talks Busy Week, Shoulder Injury

During Darian DeVries’ introductory press conference, he announced that his son, Tucker, would be joining him at West Virginia next season. Tucker, a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, spoke with the media about his decision to follow his dad and the busy week it has been.

“Certainly everything has happened pretty quickly, a lot to take in. But just trying to enjoy this moment of being a part of this,” DeVries said. “Hopefully able to reflect on it in a couple days, weeks from now. Looking forward to this journey.”

Just a week ago, DeVries was playing for his dad in the NCAA Tournament opening round. This past week has flown by for DeVries as his dad accepted the West Virginia job on Sunday and then he had shoulder surgery on Tuesday. Tucker also entered the transfer portal on Wednesday but it was a given that he would follow his dad wherever he was coaching next season.

“[My dad] certainly felt like this is a place he can be successful and excited to be a part of. And we were all in full support of that. For me to be able to come here my senior year, I’m really looking forward to it,” DeVries said.

DeVries is regarded as one of the top transfer recruits in the country. DeVries, a 6-foot-7 wing, was named the No. 1 overall transfer by CBS Sports and debuted as the No. 3 prospect on EvanMiya’s database. DeVries averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Bulldogs this past season. DeVries shot 44% from the field, 36% from three and 81% from the free throw line.

Tucker stepped foot inside the WVU Coliseum for the first time on Thursday.

“It’s really special. You can’t put this into pictures or videos of what this really feels like,” Tucker said.

“That first time— the musket? That thing was loud. Hopefully, I can used to that a little more,” he joked.

DeVries has had back-to-back seasons of nagging injuries. DeVries rallied Drake to a 28-7 record and stayed on the floor for the whole season despite thinking about shutting himself down.

DeVries isn’t too concerned about his recovery process with his shoulder.

“They don’t seem too worried about it now that they’ve gone in and fully fixed it,” he said. “Looking forward to being able to get healthy and get to work.”

Now Tucker will join his dad at West Virginia as the roster for the 2024-25 season is unknown. West Virginia has only lost Seth Wilson to the transfer portal as of the publishing of this story. Tucker says he’s helping out with recruiting as he prepares for his senior year.

“Yeah, I’ve been working already,” DeVries said. “It’s going to be a complete group effort. I think we’re excited to see who we can bring in and put a good team together.”

Tucker met the current Mountaineers who were in attendance on Thursday, including Josiah Harris, Jeremiah Bembry, Ofri Naveh and Ali Ragab.