With the breaking news of West Virginia Head Coach Darian DeVries leaving WVU for the head coaching vacancy at Indiana University, it is back to the drawing board yet again for WVU AD Wren Baker.
It has been a difficult 48 hours for the WVU men's basketball program to say the least. Sunday night they were snubbed from an NCAA Tournament bid, creating quite the uproar around the college basketball world. Now, 48 hours later, their head coach of just 360 days is on his way to another institution.
Here is what Wren Baker had to say on Tuesday evening just after the news of DeVries’ departure
"Coach DeVries informed me of his plans to accept the head coaching position at another institution. Coach and I had several conversations in recent weeks focused on working together to build on a strong foundation and continue to grow our program. I made it clear to him that WVU is committed to invest in him and provide the resources needed to compete in the Big 12 and nationally. Ultimately, he decided to move on, and I want to thank him for his time at WVU," Baker posted online.
"We have an outstanding basketball tradition with some of the most loyal and passionate fans in college basketball. We have tremendously generous supporters and a great partnership with the University that allow us to compete in this new era of college athletics. The alignment between the leadership of our Board of Governors, the University and Athletics Department is strong, and I am confident our momentum will continue as we work diligently to identify the next leader of our men's basketball program.”
Baker, who has handled himself with the utmost class since taking on the position of AD at West Virginia University in late November 2022, has done so once again in the immediacy of this news. While we do not know the details surrounding the efforts that Baker made to retain DeVries, there is great certainty in assuming that he went to pretty great lengths.
In March of 2024, Baker was confident that he had found the right man for the job in head coach Darian DeVries. Through his first and only season leading the program, DeVries has done nothing but solidify that sentiment. The job that he did in leading this team to a .500 record in conference play and a near-NCAA tournament bid was sensational. After great success this season, both Baker and West Virginia University desired to see DeVries' comments made at his introductory press conference come true.
“It took something special for me to leave Drake…this is a place I see myself for a very long time," DeVries said upon his hiring.
Darian DeVries introduction press conference less than one year ago:
— KangEerRoo (@KangEerRoo) March 18, 2025
“It took something special for me to leave Drake… this is a place I see myself for a very long time…” pic.twitter.com/I8EcHL4EDB
Unfortunately for Baker and WVU fans, those best laid plans didn't work out when a prestigious blue blood came calling.
With Wren Baker leading the charge to find a new men’s basketball head coach, Mountaineer fans should have great confidence that he will land yet another home-run hire.
As far as the current WVU roster is concerned, freshman Jonathan Powell has already entered the transfer portal after a solid freshman season, and Tucker DeVries is expected to follow his dad to Indiana after suiting up in just 8 games for the Mountaineers due to injury.
While the rest remains to be seen, the 2024-25 Mountaineers are proof that in the modern era of college basketball, you can jump from one year to the next with an entirely new coaching staff and roster and still compete at a high level. Here’s to hoping that the 2025-26 version will be able to do just that.