Tucker DeVries brings competitive steak, ball-handling confidence to West Virginia

Given Darian DeVries history as a coach, it didn’t take much for West Virginia fans to get excited about the potential for their program when the former Creighton assistant and Drake head coach was announced as the new head coach this off-season. However, when his son and top-ranked transfer portal player Tucker DeVries announced that he would be joining him in Morgantown, the excitement rocketed up another notch.

The younger DeVries has a ton of buzz surrounding his name after a strong start to his career at Drake -- he is a back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Player of the Year who averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game as a junior season, helping lead Drake to a 28-7 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

DeVries stopped in for an interview on Monday night with WVU media outlet Hoops from the Hills, where he discussed what WVU fans can expect from his game this upcoming season. The biggest facet of his game he highlighted when asked what he brings as a player is his competitive streak.

“I just want to win,” he said. “We’re going to do everything we can to go out there and be as successful as possible. I think you’ll see how hard the group will play and I’d like to say I'm in that category as well.”

He also talked about how he has developed as an offensive talent over the years, noting in particular that felt that taking over as the main ball handler for the Bulldogs last season has played a big role in how comfortable he now feels on the offensive end of the court.

“The ball was in my hands a little bit more, and you start to get a little bit more comfortable with each game each season,” he said. “It starts to slow down for you as each season goes on.”

DeVries was also asked about his ability to create scoring opportunities off ball screens, which has been a crucial part of his offensive repertoire throughout his career.

“I think it's certainly part of my game that's evolved throughout my career,” he said. Each year I probably grow more and more.”

He gave a glimpse of the future in terms of offensive strategy as well, hinting that likely won’t be the only weapon on offense utilizing those ball screens.

“It’s a large part of the offensive game plan, and not just for me,” he said. “I think you’ll see a lot of different guys coming off those.”

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