BLOOMINGTON — Speaking via Zoom with a gaggle of reporters Thursday morning following the busy spring just gone, Darian DeVries talked confidently about the mostly rebuilt Indiana basketball roster he now takes into an important summer.
With three scholarships still open, DeVries said he’s searching for some necessary post depth. And he acknowledged his locker room needs more bodies, if for no reason other than to ensure quality, competitive practices.
Those are, if not secondary concerns, at least relative luxuries for DeVries’ Hoosiers now.
With three freshmen and six signees added to a roster that returns only Trent Sisley from last season, much of the meat is on the bones of DeVries’ second Indiana team, and there’s understandable reasoning behind DeVries’ confidence now. It’s why Year 2 will be a much more revealing test of DeVries’ readiness for the job of returning IU basketball to the top of the Big Ten.
“The biggest difference (between last year and this year) is, we had a full staff in place this time around,” DeVries said, “and then having a season to go through the league and understand exactly what we need, to be able to shift our focus and prioritize certain types of things.”
Why last year was different
This time a year ago, DeVries was building a program and a roster at the same time. He brought some support with him from West Virginia, including assistant Nick Norton, director of operations Garrett Sturtz, head strength coach Ryan Horn and others. But he also recognized the need for a more expansive staff, not just in numbers but in connections and experience.
That took time enough that DeVries — who initially wanted five full assistants — settled on four. It’s also part of the reason he put off onboarding a general manager-type role, opting to give himself time to flesh out that position in his own mind before seeking someone to fill it.
Those delays and obstacles made the roster-building side of DeVries’ job more difficult. Fewer assistants meant fewer connections to leverage in the portal. An incomplete staff meant more work for fewer people, making the load larger and less manageable.
And the result was a team that, experienced as it was, turned out too limited for DeVries’ Year 1 ambitions in Bloomington. Problems DeVries addressed before the fact this time around.
What made spring smoother in Year 2
Was it, then, the sheer filling out of DeVries’ staff? Or was it the people he put in those positions?
The simple answer: both.
Consider assistant coach Kenny Johnson. A key early addition to DeVries’ staff, Johnson wasn’t reported as part of that staff until mid-April of last year, and he wasn’t confirmed until the end of May. That timeline was not exclusive to Johnson — because of the convergence of DeVries’ hiring, the earlier portal window and the comprehensive nature of his program restructuring, DeVries was building his staff last season as he was building his roster.
DeVries had the pieces in place to navigate the same process more smoothly in 2026. Ryan Carr, Indiana’s executive director of basketball, came on board in February. Thomas Carr (no relation), the Hoosiers’ fifth assistant, was confirmed March 27. The portal opened more than a week later.
When the former Carr was hired late in the season, he spoke about the importance of transitioning over from his longtime role with the Pacers as quickly as possible, to be ready for the all-important spring portal window. Everyone could see then just how much surgery DeVries’ roster might need. When time came to operate this spring, Indiana’s coach could do so with a full supporting cast.
“We had a pretty good plan in place,” DeVries said, “as we went through the season, and specifically Big Ten play, of recognizing, ‘Hey, what does this roster need to look like?’”
The answer will define next season
How did DeVries and his staff answer that question?
With more size. With more ball handlers capable of breaking defenders down and ensuring the ball touches the paint. With enough proven shooting to keep the floor spaced around those knifing guards and two bigs. With, interestingly, players Indiana can invest in for more than just one season.
“(We) wanted to do as much as we could to be able to find some guys that we’ll have the opportunity to retain,” DeVries said, “so we can start to build some stability.”
After three straight years of roster churn, between the end of Mike Woodson’s tenure and DeVries’ first year, stability would be a welcome change of pace in Bloomington. There’s no surer way to achieve it than by winning. Far fewer people jump ship on success.
That begs the last and most important question: Have DeVries and his staff done enough to achieve that?
Only time, obviously, will tell us that. It’s understandable though — given the circumstances he had to grapple with last year and the extent to which they’ve been dealt with this year — why DeVries seems so confident in the process that led him to his second Indiana roster. Completing the first problem was key to addressing the second.
Which is why Year 2 should inform so much more about DeVries’ tenure. Any successful coach must show the ability to learn and improve, the same as his players. This is where that has to manifest for DeVries. There’s reason to believe it will.
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Darian DeVries is (and should be) more confident about Year 2 leading IU basketball
Reporting by Zach Osterman, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
