Indiana blows it again: Hires wrong Drake coach...

[MdWIldcat55]

Darian DeVries never advanced to the NCAA tournament as regular season champion in the MVC at Drake and never won an NCAA tournament game. Then he posted a mediocre year at WVU, missing the NCAA tournament

His replacement, Ben McCollum, has now done both things in his first year at Drake.

And, with the eye test, McCollum seems to run a much more modern offense and aggressive defense.

The Hoosiers probably whiffed again. The Charlie Browniest of programs ever.

 

[bthaunert]

Meh…they are both decent options.

Devries took over a Drake program that had been to the NCAA Tournament once since 1971 and went 9-22, 7-24, 7-24 and 17-17 in the 4 years prior to his arrival. He then went 24-10 in his first year and went to the NCAA Tournament 3 out of his 5 years at Drake. He took over a WVU team that went 9-23 last year (albeit under an interim coach) and turned them around to go 19-13 and should have made the NCAA Tournament.

It’s a decent hire.

 

[TOMCATS1990]

Should have went after Beard or McNeese St HC

 

[MdWIldcat55]

Meh…they are both decent options.

Devries took over a Drake program that had been to the NCAA Tournament once since 1971 and went 9-22, 7-24, 7-24 and 17-17 in the 4 years prior to his arrival. He then went 24-10 in his first year and went to the NCAA Tournament 3 out of his 5 years at Drake. He took over a WVU team that went 9-23 last year (albeit under an interim coach) and turned them around to go 19-13 and should have made the NCAA Tournament.

It’s a decent hire.

Even knowledgeable Hoosier fans were hoping for McCollum. He’s younger, more charismatic and dynamic and runs a more modern offense. Devries’ success his last couple years at Drake and the first part of this year at WVU before the team collapsed is due to having his son Tucker on his team. He has one more year, if he recovers from a season-ending injury.

McCollum would have been a better hire. Indiana panicked and took a safe option when it was available.

 

[Emarc]

Time will tell

 

[bthaunert]

Even knowledgeable Hoosier fans were hoping for McCollum. He’s younger, more charismatic and dynamic and runs a more modern offense. Devries’ success his last couple years at Drake and the first part of this year at WVU before the team collapsed is due to having his son Tucker on his team. He has one more year, if he recovers from a season-ending injury.

McCollum would have been a better hire. Indiana panicked and took a safe option when it was available.

Yeah, I’m not saying Devries was better. Just saying that when you get to a Drake level hire, they both have had success.

 

[chroix]

He’s younger, more charismatic and dynamic and runs a more modern offense.

Indiana has a state law banning charisma.

 

[Louis_Skunt]

Amazing how they make such terrible hires.

 

[runt#69]

The quickest and safest bet was Devries. But I think they were totally gun-shy about Beard ever coming there, and they went a safe route. He's an ok coach and hire, I just don't think he is going to bring the level of excellence Indiana fans are expecting him to bring. I do think there could actually be peace between us and with IU, with a decent man like him on the sidelines over there.

Time will tell.

Either he does SOMETHING to bring Indiana back to relevance or we will be talking about the new Indiana hire in 2030, just like this year. It's been this way for sometime, hasn't it? 😉

 

[TOMCATS1990]

Well they did make a good Football hire and got them a playoff bid something KY probably will never be able to accomplish.

 

[Smashcat]

If it’s the wrong hire, then it’s the right hire.😜

 

[Fox2monk]

Time will tell

This is the truth. I probably would have rolled with McCollum but many mid major stories and coaches have flames out quick in the bigger stage over the decades.

 

[65pacecar]

Even knowledgeable Hoosier fans were hoping for McCollum. He’s younger, more charismatic and dynamic and runs a more modern offense. Devries’ success his last couple years at Drake and the first part of this year at WVU before the team collapsed is due to having his son Tucker on his team. He has one more year, if he recovers from a season-ending injury.

McCollum would have been a better hire. Indiana panicked and took a safe option when it was available.

Season Ending Injury or ‘Dad was snaking out of his contract’ ending injury?

 

[will1976]

Should have went after Beard or McNeese St HC

Yeah i knew when Beards name wasn't mentioned Indiana's future was bleak.

 

[ralphdaltonfan]

You also have to sell tickets. McCollum has shown to be a winner.....that being said the style his teams play has a strong Todd Lickliter at Butler to Iowa feel. Iowa has had a huge attendance problem--that started with that awful hire of Lickliter and rememeber he came from the Butler "little engine that could" tree before Stevens took the flop/fall/free throw approach to a new level.

 

[topset81]

Even knowledgeable Hoosier fans were hoping for McCollum. He’s younger, more charismatic and dynamic and runs a more modern offense. Devries’ success his last couple years at Drake and the first part of this year at WVU before the team collapsed is due to having his son Tucker on his team. He has one more year, if he recovers from a season-ending injury.

McCollum would have been a better hire. Indiana panicked and took a safe option when it was available.

Good chance this was done weeks or months ago

 

[GThomas]

Even knowledgeable Hoosier fans were hoping for McCollum. He’s younger, more charismatic and dynamic and runs a more modern offense. Devries’ success his last couple years at Drake and the first part of this year at WVU before the team collapsed is due to having his son Tucker on his team. He has one more year, if he recovers from a season-ending injury.

McCollum would have been a better hire. Indiana panicked and took a safe option when it was available.

Hoosier fan here. I think McCollum is the real deal, but I bet he turned IU down ... and DeVries was Plan B.

Whatever the case, IU will regret not having BM.

 

[ArcadiaFan]

Bad hire. Though DeVries has won an NCAA Tournament game. Drake beat Wichita State in the First Four in '21. I remember him leading Drake to back to back chokes in the first round though his last two seasons there.

Pat Knight would have been a good hire for Indiana.

 

[HalHR2500]

Whole lot of shenanigans pulled by DeVries and Indiana in hiring of this guy, his sons mystery injury to get another year, they screwed up another hire

 

[HalHR2500]

The quickest and safest bet was Devries. But I think they were totally gun-shy about Beard ever coming there, and they went a safe route. He's an ok coach and hire, I just don't think he is going to bring the level of excellence Indiana fans are expecting him to bring. I do think there could actually be peace between us and with IU, with a decent man like him on the sidelines over there.

Time will tell.

Either he does SOMETHING to bring Indiana back to relevance or we will be talking about the new Indiana hire in 2030, just like this year. It's been this way for sometime, hasn't it? 😉

Beard has serious baggage some schools won’t get past, Ole Miss has become a halfway house for scoundrel coaches

 

[Fox2monk]

Whole lot of shenanigans pulled by DeVries and Indiana in hiring of this guy, his sons mystery injury to get another year, they screwed up another hire

They must have been planning it early in the year because his son was hurt in December.