Indiana University Athletics
Sunday, October 26
Indianapolis, Ind.
1:00 PM
Indiana University
vs
Baylor (Exhibition)
‘Tucker Knows’ – Do-It-All DeVries Primed for Hoosier Impact
10/26/2025 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The moment comes, the ball arrives, and Tucker DeVries braces for impact.
One shot falls, then another, then another at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Rebounds are grabbed, passes are made, a stat sheet is filled -- 23 points, six assists, five rebounds, and two steals; 7-for-9 shooting from the field, 5-for-7 on 3-pointers.
It's an exhibition opportunity against an out-matched Marian University team, but that's not the point. Indiana seeks to showcase what it is and what it could become with a totally new roster. The same is true for DeVries, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound do-it-all senior transfer forward who hopes, with the rest of the Hoosiers, to restore the tradition-rich program to its title-winning ways.
A final exhibition opportunity looms -- Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis' Gainbridge Fieldhouse against Baylor; a final tune up before everything counts, and success demands elite play, relentless focus, most importantly, tough-minded leadership. In this, DeVries seems more than ready.
"He's smart," senior forward Sam Alexis says. "He has a high basketball IQ. He can shoot. He's played in this system a long time, and knows where to be at the right time."
Coach Darian DeVries wants his son to just play, to let instincts and skills honed by a lifetime in the game take over.
"That's one of his better qualities, his feel, IQ, and ability to play off defenses."
Then, Darian DeVries adds, there's utilizing his son's playmaking skills, his knack for coming off screens and playing on the move and, ultimately, for elevating his teammates' play.
"He's always been a good leader," the elder DeVries says. "As he's gotten older, he's become more vocal. That's especially important for this group when everybody's new, and he's the one guy that understands everything we're running. I've really challenged him to be that guy."
Message received and implemented.
"He's another coach on the floor," guard Tayton Conerway says. "His offensive skill is crazy. The way he can shoot will help us all year.
"Him knowing what Coach DeVries wants and having that understanding helps practices flow smoother. Our plays are always -- if you don't know where to go, Tucker knows (from guard to center). He knows where everyone needs to be. Nobody is lost out there."
Tucker DeVries was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year at Drake, with one season in which he averaged 21.6 points 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.6 steals.
In just over three college seasons (he played eight games at West Virginia before a season-ending shoulder surgery), he's totaled 1,986 points, 626 rebounds, 283 assists, 139 steals, and 61 blocks.
That followed an outstanding high school career in which DeVries was named the 2021 Iowa Mr. Basketball, Gatorade Iowa player of the year, and led Waukee High School to an Iowa state championship.
Guard Conor Enright played with DeVries at Drake before transferring to DePaul, and now Indiana. He's seen what DeVries can do.
"He's always been a steady presence out there," Enright says. "You know what he can do every night offensively and defensively. I never have to worry if he's going to be in the right spot or if he'll do this right. He's always there. He's always reliable. That's awesome to have."
This is the fifth season and third team DeVries has played for his father. It works. It always works.
"Playing for your father, the expectations are certainly higher," Tucker says, "but it's cool to be able to do this together. We do a good job of balancing basketball and family. After my career is over, the memories we have together will be special."
Perspective comes with those memories.
"I know how much work he puts into it," Tucker DeVries says about his father. "I trust what he's doing. The time he puts in reflects that."
Trust works both ways. Sometimes, the father seeks his son's input.
"He'll ask a question now and then from a player's perspective," Tucker DeVries says. "We have a lot of confidence that he'll put us in the best positions."
Darian DeVries has plenty of confidence in his son.
"What makes it so special is just you get to spend all that time together," Coach DeVries says. "You get to see all the time he puts into getting ready for a practice, getting ready for a game. That's the type of work that you see in a lot of our guys, but when you see your own son do it and recognize how much he cares and how passionate he is about the sport and wanting to be good, and then to see that work pay off in a game, that's one of those unique and special things.
For father and son, it's all about the locker room moments, the practices, the victories and, yes, even defeats, because that's part of a journey usually not shared so personally by family members.
"For me," Darian DeVries says, "it's getting to be a part of that with him, whether it's road trips or meals or other things in addition to all the game day experiences, that makes it special."
Does basketball sometimes carry over to the DeVries home?
"My mom might get a little upset that we talk basketball too much at the dinner table," Tucker says with a smile. "We do a good job of leaving it to aside, but sometimes it does trickle into the conversation."
Like IU, Baylor has a totally new roster under coach Scott Drew, who has a 2021 national title and 466 wins in his 23 Bears seasons. Add a year coaching Valparaiso in Indiana and he has 486 career victories.
Nine players transferred out after last season's 20-15 finish. Seven transferred in to comprise the nation's No. 22-ranked portal class according to 247Sports. Baylor also added a McDonald's All-American in freshman Tounde Yessoufou, plus Andre Iguodala II, the son of four-time NBA champ Andre Iguodala.
The Bears beat Grand Canyon 79-74 in their first exhibition a couple of weeks ago.
The teams have met only one time before, with IU winning 80-47 in 1980 behind Landon Turner's 23 points and seven rebounds.
Although this exhibition doesn't count in the record -- the Hoosiers open their season Nov. 5 against Alabama A&M at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall -- Conerway says the Hoosiers will play to win.
"It's our first opportunity to play against somebody with more skill," he says. "We're attacking this like a normal game, like it's for a Big Ten championship. We want to play hard and win. We won't stop till the buzzer goes off."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The moment comes, the ball arrives, and Tucker DeVries braces for impact.
One shot falls, then another, then another at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Rebounds are grabbed, passes are made, a stat sheet is filled -- 23 points, six assists, five rebounds, and two steals; 7-for-9 shooting from the field, 5-for-7 on 3-pointers.
It's an exhibition opportunity against an out-matched Marian University team, but that's not the point. Indiana seeks to showcase what it is and what it could become with a totally new roster. The same is true for DeVries, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound do-it-all senior transfer forward who hopes, with the rest of the Hoosiers, to restore the tradition-rich program to its title-winning ways.
A final exhibition opportunity looms -- Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis' Gainbridge Fieldhouse against Baylor; a final tune up before everything counts, and success demands elite play, relentless focus, most importantly, tough-minded leadership. In this, DeVries seems more than ready.
"He's smart," senior forward Sam Alexis says. "He has a high basketball IQ. He can shoot. He's played in this system a long time, and knows where to be at the right time."
Coach Darian DeVries wants his son to just play, to let instincts and skills honed by a lifetime in the game take over.
"That's one of his better qualities, his feel, IQ, and ability to play off defenses."
Then, Darian DeVries adds, there's utilizing his son's playmaking skills, his knack for coming off screens and playing on the move and, ultimately, for elevating his teammates' play.
"He's always been a good leader," the elder DeVries says. "As he's gotten older, he's become more vocal. That's especially important for this group when everybody's new, and he's the one guy that understands everything we're running. I've really challenged him to be that guy."
Message received and implemented.
"He's another coach on the floor," guard Tayton Conerway says. "His offensive skill is crazy. The way he can shoot will help us all year.
"Him knowing what Coach DeVries wants and having that understanding helps practices flow smoother. Our plays are always -- if you don't know where to go, Tucker knows (from guard to center). He knows where everyone needs to be. Nobody is lost out there."
Tucker DeVries was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year at Drake, with one season in which he averaged 21.6 points 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.6 steals.
In just over three college seasons (he played eight games at West Virginia before a season-ending shoulder surgery), he's totaled 1,986 points, 626 rebounds, 283 assists, 139 steals, and 61 blocks.
That followed an outstanding high school career in which DeVries was named the 2021 Iowa Mr. Basketball, Gatorade Iowa player of the year, and led Waukee High School to an Iowa state championship.
Guard Conor Enright played with DeVries at Drake before transferring to DePaul, and now Indiana. He's seen what DeVries can do.
"He's always been a steady presence out there," Enright says. "You know what he can do every night offensively and defensively. I never have to worry if he's going to be in the right spot or if he'll do this right. He's always there. He's always reliable. That's awesome to have."
This is the fifth season and third team DeVries has played for his father. It works. It always works.
"Playing for your father, the expectations are certainly higher," Tucker says, "but it's cool to be able to do this together. We do a good job of balancing basketball and family. After my career is over, the memories we have together will be special."
Perspective comes with those memories.
"I know how much work he puts into it," Tucker DeVries says about his father. "I trust what he's doing. The time he puts in reflects that."
Trust works both ways. Sometimes, the father seeks his son's input.
"He'll ask a question now and then from a player's perspective," Tucker DeVries says. "We have a lot of confidence that he'll put us in the best positions."
Darian DeVries has plenty of confidence in his son.
"What makes it so special is just you get to spend all that time together," Coach DeVries says. "You get to see all the time he puts into getting ready for a practice, getting ready for a game. That's the type of work that you see in a lot of our guys, but when you see your own son do it and recognize how much he cares and how passionate he is about the sport and wanting to be good, and then to see that work pay off in a game, that's one of those unique and special things.
For father and son, it's all about the locker room moments, the practices, the victories and, yes, even defeats, because that's part of a journey usually not shared so personally by family members.
"For me," Darian DeVries says, "it's getting to be a part of that with him, whether it's road trips or meals or other things in addition to all the game day experiences, that makes it special."
Does basketball sometimes carry over to the DeVries home?
"My mom might get a little upset that we talk basketball too much at the dinner table," Tucker says with a smile. "We do a good job of leaving it to aside, but sometimes it does trickle into the conversation."
Like IU, Baylor has a totally new roster under coach Scott Drew, who has a 2021 national title and 466 wins in his 23 Bears seasons. Add a year coaching Valparaiso in Indiana and he has 486 career victories.
Nine players transferred out after last season's 20-15 finish. Seven transferred in to comprise the nation's No. 22-ranked portal class according to 247Sports. Baylor also added a McDonald's All-American in freshman Tounde Yessoufou, plus Andre Iguodala II, the son of four-time NBA champ Andre Iguodala.
The Bears beat Grand Canyon 79-74 in their first exhibition a couple of weeks ago.
The teams have met only one time before, with IU winning 80-47 in 1980 behind Landon Turner's 23 points and seven rebounds.
Although this exhibition doesn't count in the record -- the Hoosiers open their season Nov. 5 against Alabama A&M at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall -- Conerway says the Hoosiers will play to win.
"It's our first opportunity to play against somebody with more skill," he says. "We're attacking this like a normal game, like it's for a Big Ten championship. We want to play hard and win. We won't stop till the buzzer goes off."
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
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