New coach Darian DeVries and an overhauled roster renew optimism in Indiana basketball | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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New coach Darian DeVries and an overhauled roster renew optimism in Indiana basketball

FILE - West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries, who is now head coach at Indiana, gestures to a referee during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas Tech, Feb. 22, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Annie Rice, file)

Indiana (19-13, 10-10 Big Ten)

After missing the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, the Hoosiers fired coach Mike Woodson and hired Darian DeVries from West Virginia. Only two players remain from the Woodson era and each has played only one game with the Hoosiers. DeVries has a history of making quick turnarounds. His team won 20 games in his first season at Drake despite having the second-fewest returning letterwinners in Division I. And last season, he nearly led West Virginia to the NCAA Tournament last season after taking over a 9-23 team. Indiana fans hope that first-year trend continues in Bloomington.

Players to watch

Tucker DeVries (redshirt senior, F, 14.9 points) is the coach's son. The two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year returns from a shoulder injury that limited him to just eight games last season at West Virginia. Lamar Wilkerson (redshirt senior, G, 20.5 points) was one of 19 Division I players to top 20 points per game and Reed Bailey (senior, F, 18.8 points, 6.1 rebounds).

Departures and arrivals

This long list may be almost unprecedented in school history. Ten players transfers into the program including Tucker DeVries, Wilkerson (Sam Houston State) and Bailey (Davidson). The Hoosiers also added double-digit scoring guards Tayton Conerway (Troy) and Jason Drake (Drexel). DeVries will be reunited with his former Drake teammate, guard Conor Enright (DePaul). Guard Jasai Miles and Josh Harris forward each scored in double digits at North Florida last season, and forward Sam Alexis left Florida after winning the national championship.

Top games

Indiana opens the season Nov. 5 against Alabama A&M. Four days later, the Hoosiers face Marquette in Chicago. The non-conference schedule also includes matchups with Kansas State in November as well as No. 11 Louisville in Indianapolis and at No. 9 Kentucky. They'll play No. 22 Michigan State twice, visit No. 12 UCLA in late January and have a three-game stretch in February against No. 24 Wisconsin, Oregon and No. 17 Ilinois before facing No. 1 Purdue.

Facts and figures

Tucker DeVries also was the MVC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player in 2024, too. ... Conerway was last season's Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. ... Bailey, Miles, Reed and Wilkerson also earned all-conference honors last season and Harris made his league's all-freshman team. ... G Nick Dorn (Elon) was one of six Division I players to average at least 15.0 points per game while making at least 70 3s and 90 free throws in fewer than 1,000 minutes. ... Freshman F Trent Sisley is one of three Indiana natives on the roster. He grew up in Santa Claus, Indiana. ... The Hoosiers have two overseas players — G Aleksa Ristic (Serbia) and C Andrej Acimovic (Serbia). Both are freshmen.

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