Indiana gets a shooter.
Darian DeVries did not have to leave the house to land his first commit from the transfer portal at Indiana, with his son Tucker announcing that he’ll be joining the Hoosiers this upcoming season.
Tucker followed his dad to West Virginia when Darian moved up a level from Drake and, like his father, proved that he was capable of performing at the highest level.
After being the Missouri Conference Player of the Year in each of his final two seasons at Drake, the wing got off to a hot start in Morgantown. In eight games, he averaged 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists, going 47.3% from long range.
Before missing the rest of the season with a shoulder injury DeVries was a focal point of West Virginia’s offense. He had a 20.5% usage rate in those eight games, roughly equivalent to Mackenzie Mgbako, Oumar Ballo, or Trey Galloway’s last season at Indiana.
Getting into his West Virginia film, it’s easy to see why West Virginia went to him so much.
While his 3-point percentage was impressive on its own, seeing the shots he takes makes it even more impressive. DeVries has range well beyond the arc, appearing comfortable with shooting off a pass or dribble almost all the way out to the logo.
He doesn’t have the fastest release, but at 6’7”, it will take some real size to alter his shot. His range is also a factor here, making it harder for larger defenders to close out in time to be a factor.
DeVries shooting ability will always make him a threat on the perimeter, but at 220 pounds, he’s capable of rebounding and scoring inside against other forwards. Only 16% of his shot attempts came at the rim last year, but he’s somebody who can hurt the defense as a cutter if they lose track of him inside.
DeVries also passes well as a wing. Only Myles Rice, Malik Reneau, and Galloway had higher assist rates than he did last season, so the Hoosiers are getting a quality passer at the three spot now as well.
He isn’t the kind of athlete that’s going to break down a ton of guys off the dribble, but his shotmaking ability commands enough attention to the perimeter that he’s able to find cutting guards or make entry passes to bigs for a high assist rate.
Probably more important than anything will be DeVries college expereince and familiarity with his father’s offensive and defensive concepts.
This is the exact kind of player you’d want to help your program make a coaching transition, so Hoosier fans should feel good about locking him down.