WVU AD Wren Baker Attempts to Debunk Darian DeVries Rumors

With West Virginia’s season abruptly over after being left out of the NCAA Tournament, fans are left speculating about the future of the program, namely if head coach Darian DeVries will return to WVU or pursue another opportunity. Knowing the questions surrounding the program, WVU director of athletics Wren Baker appeared on the West Virginia Metro News Sportsline on Monday night to offer his own opinion on the matter.

“I’m just very open and honest with our coaches. I’ve ran searches before and I would say that less than 10% of what you read and speculation that you hear is true. Social media and message boards have certainly created a lot of awareness and attention. There’s some positives with that, but there are also some negatives,” responded Baker when asked about the rumors concerning DeVries, many of which started at the beginning of the season before any other job was even close to being open.

“There’s not a lot of fact-checking that goes on. I’ve been on both sides of this before where you’re having a season where you aren’t having a great season and have to make some hard decisions and I’ve had seasons where you have a good season and other programs are coming for your coaches.”

WVU AD Wren Baker on rumors about DeVries leaving West Virginia while on @WVMetroNews Sportsline:

“I’m just very open and honest with our coaches. I’ve ran searches before and I would say that less than 10% of what you read and speculation that you hear is true. Social media…

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) March 18, 2025

Baker’s first comments about WVU’s snub on Sunday night spoke volumes about his true feelings.

“Heartbroken for WVU hoops. I can’t comprehend this team being left out. Our resume was better than several teams in the field and it’s a terrible travesty that we weren’t included. I have so much appreciation for Coach (Darian) DeVries, our coaching staff and players. They deserved better than what the committee delivered today. Let’s rally around these young men and let them know how proud we are of them!,” posted Baker on social media.

For a related story, WV Sports Now’s Mike Asti explained the only way DeVries would leave WVU for Iowa.