© Ben Queen-Imagn Images
The West Virginia basketball team is in the midst of the worst week imaginable. A series of unfortunate events has forced the Mountaineers to essentially start over.
Despite a largely successful season on the court, the program has nothing to show. They’ll now be forced to fill unexpected voids during an offseason spent at home.
West Virginia won 19 games in the 2024-25 campaign. That included victories over the likes of Arizona, Gonzaga, Iowa State, and Kansas.
Most considered the Mountaineers a lock to make the NCAA Tournament in Year 1 of the Darian DeVries era. It didn’t happen.
WVU was the first team on the wrong side of the bubble come Selection Sunday. They were passed over by North Carolina for the final March Madness spot.
The decision sparked a domino effect of negativity. The West Virginia governor opened an investigation into the NCAA while the Mountaineers coach began trending for open jobs around the Big Ten.
He rejected an opportunity with Iowa but jumped when Indiana came calling. Darian DeVries came and went in Morgantown six days shy of a year.
West Virginia G Javon Small ripped his former basketball coach.
The senior guard posted a message to his Instagram story on Tuesday after the news broke. He laughed at his coach’s so-called loyalty.
WVU Men’s Basketball senior guard Javon Small posted this to his Instagram story.
Seemingly related to the DeVries to Indiana news. pic.twitter.com/dvFsLELgK6
— Bryce Cohen (@BryceCohenMedia) March 19, 2025
DeVries spent just one season at West Virginia. It offered a stark contrast to what was said in his introductory presser with the Mountaineers last March.
“It took something special for me to leave Drake… this is a place I see myself for a very long time…”
-Darian DeVries
Not only will the program be forced to open a coaching search, but they’ll likely have to fill a major void on the roster due to the departure. Tucker DeVries is the coach’s son. He’s expected to follow his father to Indiana.
The younger DeVries missed most of the year with an injury. That setback was one reason the Mountaineers were held out of the Big Dance.
When he did play, he averaged 14.9 points per game. He was expected to return, alongside his dad, for one last year in Morgantown. Now, it appears he’ll finish his career elsewhere.
To recap, in a matter of days, the team was snubbed of an NCAA Tournament bid, lost its head coach, and will likely lose its top returning player. West Virginia will start fresh in the 2025-26 basketball campaign. It will be interesting to see how they choose to move forward.