(Bloomington) — Indiana University has hired former West Virginia and Drake Coach Darian DeVries as the new men’s basketball head coach, replacing Mike Woodson.

The 49-year-old DeVries comes to Bloomington with 24 years of Division I coaching experience, including the last seven as a highly-successful head coach at Drake (2019-24) and West Virginia (2025). His Drake and West Virginia teams went a combined 169-68 overall and won three conference championships (one regular season, two postseason) along the way.

“We went into this coaching search with some very specific things we were looking for in our next head coach, and Darian emerged as someone who, on paper, met and often exceeded our criteria,” Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson said in a media release. “Once we had a chance to talk to him, we knew we had the right person. Darian has a plan for building a championship culture that can compete at the highest level on a year-in, year-out basis. He has extensive D-1 coaching experience that includes 15 trips to the NCAA Tournament as a head coach or as an assistant.  This past season at West Virginia, he inherited a last-place Big 12 team with no significant contributors returning, and managed to more than double its win total despite a pair of significant season-ending injuries. Finally, he is passionate about the opportunity to lead our program.”

“This is unquestionably one of the top jobs in America,” said DeVries in the release announcing his hire. “As someone who grew up in the Midwest loving the game of basketball, I’ve always admired the IU Basketball program for its championship-level success, tradition, and fan support. There’s a passion to succeed at the very highest levels both within the Big Ten and in the NCAA Tournament, and that’s a desire that as a coach I share.  I’m excited for this opportunity and am ready to work relentlessly to assemble a staff and a roster that competes for championships.”

DeVries was twice named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year while at Drake, where he won 25 or more games in each of his last four seasons. At West Virginia, DeVries enjoyed tremendous success in the transfer portal (including 2024-25 first-team All-Big 12 honoree Jovan Small from Oklahoma State and All-Big 12 Defensive Team member Sencire Harris from Illinois) and orchestrated one of the nation’s most impressive turnarounds.

DeVries is expected to be followed to Indiana by his son, Tucker, who was a two-time conference Player of the Year at Drake, but missed most of last season at West Virginia with a shoulder injury. He will have one season of eligibility remaining.