When Darian DeVries stood at the podium in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on March 19, 2025, he wasn’t just the 31st head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers. He was a man with an empty locker room and a mountain of expectations. Honestly, the situation was a bit surreal. Mike Woodson was out, and within 48 hours, the entire scholarship roster had basically evaporated into the ether of the portal.
Most coaches talk about "evaluating the current roster." DeVries didn’t have that luxury. He had to build a high-major basketball team from scratch using nothing but a cell phone and a decent NIL budget.
The Indiana basketball Darian DeVries transfer portal era didn't start with a slow build. It started with a total demolition. If you were looking for continuity, you weren't going to find it in Bloomington this year.
The Son, The System, and the Quick Fix
The first domino was the most predictable one: Tucker DeVries. You’ve probably heard the "coach’s son" narrative a million times, but this isn't some walk-on situation. Tucker was the back-to-back Missouri Valley Player of the Year at Drake before following his dad to West Virginia for a brief, injury-shortened stint.
When Darian took the Indiana job, Tucker was the first name in the portal. It was a lock. But one player doesn't make a Big Ten contender.
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What's wild is how fast the rest of the names followed. DeVries didn't just go after the biggest "stars" on the recruiting boards; he went after guys who could actually shoot the ball. That sounds simple, right? Well, if you watched Indiana over the last few years, you know that perimeter shooting was essentially a myth. The 2024-25 Hoosiers shot 32.1% from deep. That's... not good.
To fix it, DeVries went hunting for specific archetypes.
- Lamar Wilkerson (Sam Houston): A guy who dropped 20.5 points per game and hit nearly 45% of his threes. He chose IU over Kentucky, which, let’s be real, is the kind of recruiting win that gets fans to buy in early.
- Reed Bailey (Davidson): At 6-foot-10, he's the closest thing to a "center" this team has, but he's not a traditional back-to-the-basket bruiser. He’s mobile. He passes. He fits the "positionless" vibe DeVries loves.
- Conor Enright (DePaul): This was a chemistry move. Enright played for DeVries at Drake. He knows the terminology. He knows where people are supposed to stand during a sideline out-of-bounds play.
Why the Size "Problem" Might Be a Feature
If you look at the 2025-26 roster, there is a glaring lack of 7-footers. Last year, Indiana had half a dozen guys standing 6-foot-9 or taller. This year? It’s basically Reed Bailey and a prayer in the paint.
DeVries admitted during an event at Huber’s Winery that they’re undersized. He knows it. You know it. The guys at the local Buffalo Wild Wings definitely know it. But here’s the thing: DeVries is betting that modern spacing beats old-school size.
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He wants to play up-tempo. He wants to drag opposing centers out to the three-point line and make them guard in space. It’s a massive gamble in a conference like the Big Ten, where you still have to deal with physical monsters in the paint every Tuesday night. But after years of "inside-out" basketball that felt like it was stuck in 1995, a lot of Hoosier fans are ready for the experiment.
The Total Roster Turnover
It’s hard to overstate how much the Indiana basketball Darian DeVries transfer portal activity changed the locker room. Literally every scholarship player from the previous season left.
Malik Reneau went to Miami.
Mackenzie Mgbako headed to Texas A&M.
Myles Rice is at Maryland.
Gabe Cupps is even at Ohio State now.
It’s a "ship of Theseus" situation—if you replace every single board on the boat, is it still the same boat? To DeVries, it doesn’t matter. He needed "his" guys. He retained one high school recruit, Trent Sisley, who is a four-star forward with a lot of upside, but the rest of the 11-man rotation is almost entirely portal-born.
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Real Talk: Does This Actually Work?
We’ve seen this movie before in college sports. Sometimes a portal-heavy roster clicks immediately (think Iowa State or Kansas State a couple of years ago). Sometimes it’s a disaster where nobody knows who is supposed to take the last shot.
Early into the 2025-26 season, we’re seeing the growing pains. Tucker DeVries has dealt with some shooting slumps—like that Michigan State game where the Izzone got in his head after a few airballs. Lamar Wilkerson had a cold stretch in November where he couldn't buy a bucket.
But there’s a "coachability" factor that Darian keeps mentioning. These guys weren't recruited as five-star egos; they were recruited as proven producers from mid-major programs who want to prove they belong on the big stage. There's a different kind of hunger there.
Actionable Insights for the 2025-26 Season:
- Watch the Spacing: If you’re at Assembly Hall, watch how much wider the players stand compared to the Woodson era. If the corners are empty, the offense is failing.
- Monitor the Rebounding Margin: Since this team is small, they have to rebound "by committee." If they’re getting doubled up on the boards, they won't win 15 games.
- Look for the Enright-Tucker Connection: Their familiarity from the Drake days is the "glue" that keeps the half-court offense from falling apart when things get chaotic.
The Indiana basketball Darian DeVries transfer portal strategy wasn't a choice; it was a necessity. Whether it leads to a deep March run or another year of NIT bubble talk depends entirely on whether "positionless" basketball can survive the physical grind of Big Ten play.
The era of the traditional Indiana big man is over. For now, it’s all about the shooters.
Next Steps to Track the Hoosiers: Keep an eye on the mid-February waiver wire. With two scholarships still technically open for senior depth like Luke Goode (if the NCAA ever makes up its mind on eligibility), this roster might not even be "finished" until the stretch run. Check the official IU Athletics portal tracker weekly to see if DeVries adds a late-season rim protector to shore up the interior defense before the Big Ten Tournament.