Fire Darian DeVries? Lol

[DChoosier]

2 minutes ago, Aaron said:

Completely agree on most of this and saying DeVries messed up bringing in Bailey and this year is a disappointment is completely fair.

However, saying DeVries is over his head or incompetent when he clearly was able to make things work elsewhere is ridiculous. To want to fire him after one year and already ponder this is also asinine. He clearly made some recruiting errors and how he addresses this in offseason will say a lot. In this age of college sports a team can go from rags to riches in one season.

In general, not wanting to support this years team and go all in, I am completely on board with. What I am not on board with and is unique to our fan base, is being completely unwilling to support solid but not elite teams when it comes to any IU sport and this is absolutely the case. 

Its why resources are lower here and right now a lot of those are rightly going to football. For people on here who want success in both, I recommend not dropping your football tickets the first time Cig wins eight or nine games. Would not happen anywhere else but very likely to here based on past precedent unfortunately.

In my case part of the unfair “challenge” for DeVries is that after 10 years of terrible basketball, which followed a number of mediocre years sprinkled in with Cody, I have reached the breaking point.
Our past history is not DeVries fault but it certainly is a major factor in my declining interest. Man, I wish/hope the program can get some mojo back as for nearly my entire life IU basketball was easily my number 1 sport and I considered The Hall to be the most electric venue in the country. But now…….?

[Pagoda]

On 1/19/2026 at 12:11 PM, BA47591 said:

If this was "We never should've hired DeVries" thread, I'd be on board. My choices aren't exactly lighting it up though. He made his bed early and now we all get to lay in it. However I think he's a really solid x's and o's guy. He just blew it out his a55 with early staffing. A change or two with staffing and the talent necessary, I think we'll be OK. At the end of year 3 if we still can't get players then.....

You’ve been posting this point since CDD was hired.

I dismissed it, I thought it was normal for the staff to take a few weeks to hire.  However, now I’m wondering if you were right. The staff wasn’t in place soon enough.  And maybe we hired one or two of the wrong guys, we know who that would be…

It’ll be interesting if we make any staff changes after this season.

[Pagoda]

2 hours ago, Aaron said:

Again, thank you for proving my point that we have one of the most fair-weather and reactionary fan bases out there. I get people are impatient with the program for past screw ups, but this is mostly not DeVries' fault.

DeVries absolutely screwed up with bringing in Bailey and with an adequate center this is an obvious tournament team. How he addresses this problem will tell us a lot about if he has the chops to compete at this level.

I have said I am not convinced this is a coaching issue anymore but a resource issue of robbing Peter to pay Paul with football and its worked out beautifully in the sense it got football to a ceiling basketball has not seen in at least 30 years.

If we want both programs funded at a high level, we need better resources and more money. A big part of that is adding 20,000 seats to football and the fans showing they won't bail at the first eight win season as has happened far to many times across IU athletics in similar scenarios.

Until our casual fans (and I don't mean the loyal ones who see things through thick and thin) decide to support winning teams at a high level and not just elite teams, resource issues will continue and right now all the money we do have is rightly in football.  

DeVries is not an elite coach like Cig but will be as good as the players and resources he is given. Unlike Archie or Woodson who couldn't coach even a good team, DeVries will win at exactly the level his talent gives him. 

He was already turning around West Virginia and can do same here if given the proper support. If not he will be the latest of a long line of coaching failures. Its that simple. 

Honestly I’m struggling to see the resource issue.  $10M for the roster is around #15 in the country and it was enough to entice CDD to come here.  Our staff budget is huge.  Plus IU paid $6.5M to buyout Woody and $6.2M for CDD’s WVU buyout.  If CDD starts doing well the resources would increase even further too.

AH crowds are down a bit this season, but it’s not a ghost town.  The Nebraska game was a pretty good showing and atmosphere.  While this thread exists, I doubt many IU fans want CDD fired.

This seems like a staff issue.  Roster construction has proven to be off as everyone has said.  And quotes about player fatigue and not buying into the offense are alarming.

I dunno.  I get your point on our fans being finicky sometimes, but I’m just not seeing them as the main problem here. Maybe I’m wrong.

Hopefully CDD figures it out.  Tough start.

[str8baller]

1 hour ago, Home Jersey said:

If our basketball NIL is really 10M and that's competitive with the rest of the market (albeit not leading),

That chart above has us top 10. 
 

I don’t know if it’s right. Nobody really does but it seems in line with most estimates all offseason.  
 

General consensus seems to have IU safely somewhere from 5th-20th in roster spend. In a sport where only a 100ish teams matter in any real sense and 68 make the tourney, that should be plenty to get at least above average results. 

1 hour ago, Pagoda said:

I dismissed it, I thought it was normal for the staff to take a few weeks to hire.  However, now I’m wondering if you were right. The staff wasn’t in place soon enough.  And maybe we hired one or two of the wrong guys, we know who that would be…

Not to take anything away from the man himself, but it seems to me one of Cigs comparative advantages is having a staff he knows, taught, and is loyal to him. Haines, especially, seems like a Cig protégé and loyalist. 
 

With IU paying top dollar for staff and not putting any restrictions (ie keep IU guys like Hulls or Calbert) it’s odd that there was trouble fielding a staff. 

[Home Jersey]

6 minutes ago, str8baller said:

That chart above has us top 10. 
 

I don’t know if it’s right. Nobody really does but it seems in line with most estimates all offseason.  
 

General consensus seems to have IU safely somewhere from 5th-20th in roster spend. In a sport where only a 100ish teams matter in any real sense and 68 make the tourney, that should be plenty to get at least above average results. 

Not to take anything away from the man himself, but it seems to me one of Cigs comparative advantages is having a staff he knows, taught, and is loyal to him. Haines, especially, seems like a Cig protégé and loyalist. 
 

With IU paying top dollar for staff and not putting any restrictions (ie keep IU guys like Hulls or Calbert) it’s odd that there was trouble fielding a staff. 

For sure. 

And I think it was reported early on that DDV is not super well-known in coaching circles? I'm paraphrasing but something to the effect of him not being one for much shmoozing with his peers, which would jive with what we see from him personality wise.

In his long career, he's only been at Creighton, Drake and WVU. Seems like his first options for assistants chose not to come and then it was scramble mode. Which makes me kinda doubt that there are staff changes made this offseason, lest you end up in the same position where you're not 100% staffed for the portal. Really have no way of knowing how big / good his network actually is, though seems not very.

[8bucks]

32 minutes ago, str8baller said:

That chart above has us top 10. 
 

I don’t know if it’s right. Nobody really does but it seems in line with most estimates all offseason.  
 

General consensus seems to have IU safely somewhere from 5th-20th in roster spend. In a sport where only a 100ish teams matter in any real sense and 68 make the tourney, that should be plenty to get at least above average results. 

Not to take anything away from the man himself, but it seems to me one of Cigs comparative advantages is having a staff he knows, taught, and is loyal to him. Haines, especially, seems like a Cig protégé and loyalist. 
 

With IU paying top dollar for staff and not putting any restrictions (ie keep IU guys like Hulls or Calbert) it’s odd that there was trouble fielding a staff. 

Plus Cig brought not only staff but several JMU guys over to establish his culture from day 1.  If the team is not buying in to DD's plan that missing culture piece is big.

[Solsberryberries]

I know it would seem reactionary, etc., but if we fail to make the tournament I would be in favor of firing him.

I’ve been to SSAH during some of the biggest games this year and it is in full atrophy mode.

This is a skeleton of the crowds even in Archie’s first year-  things were mostly full in the balcony.

To hear Fish say, “We finally have a few fans in the balcony” during the Nebraska game on our way home from the Peach Bowl made me want to puke.   The fan support is there, but until there’s proof of competency it will likely continue to be a ghost town.

I don’t think our program can “wait out” to see if coach can get the job done year after year, when there’s red flags this isn’t going to work.  
 

Here’s the fact-  we’ve hired okay to bad coaches since Knight was fired (other than Sampson who was crooked).

None of those coaches have excelled or had sustained success after Indiana fired them.  But we waited around with all of them and missed out on some dang good coaches because of it.

This isn’t a 6.5 million experiment for a year where we hope a grown man gets his bearings.  He was paid big to coach (and pay) big time players to win big time basketball games for ONE year (because most of the guys only have ONE), and at this point it has been a failure.

Edited January 22 by Solsberryberries

[Home Jersey]

15 minutes ago, Solsberryberries said:

I know it would seem reactionary, etc., but if we fail to make the tournament I would be in favor of firing him.

He was paid big to coach (and pay) big time players to win big time basketball games for ONE year (because most of the guys only have ONE), and at this point it has been a failure.

He was paid to coach on a 6 year contract, which is why no matter how much some fans would be in favor of it, there's literally zero chance he is gone after this year barring serious transgressions. 

Guess we could just sign coaches to 1 year contracts with an option to renew until we find "the guy" - in the name of keeping fans engaged - and see how that works out for us. Lol. 

[Jeff Flabjohns]

My only hope for DDv this year was to do what he was going to last year in his first year at WVU, make the tourney. (Tucker injury kept them barely out).

Instead, we’re headed for a 16 win season. 
 

If me and my IU friends are any indication…the basketball program is going to benefit by football success because there’ll be fewer eyeballs than ever. A passive *shrug* toward this season and next. 
He’s getting three years regardless. Hopefully it’s not 3 straight missed tourneys, but again *shrug*. 
 

Im spoiled by Curt Cignetti

[iubb]

4 minutes ago, Home Jersey said:

He was paid to coach on a 6 year contract, which is why no matter how much some fans would be in favor of it, there's literally zero chance he is gone after this year barring serious transgressions. 

Guess we could just sign coaches to 1 year contracts with an option to renew until we find "the guy" - in the name of keeping fans engaged - and see how that works out for us. Lol. 

And good luck getting any competent coache of he is fired. Nobody will want to take a job that looks like a revolving door in a hurricane 

[AH1971]

3 hours ago, Golfman25 said:

The problem is the plan, not the money.  We have the money to field a competitive team.  We have a senior heavy team this year, which means we get to start all over again next year.  That's fine, if this year's team was good enough to attract attention.  But it's not.  It's a total bust. 

So now what?  Try the same thing again?  Find some underclassmen who might hang around for a few years and build a program?  

Do not forget, we got smacked, at home, by a similarly talented Iowa team.  Friday might be an adventure.   

It's a chicken and an a egg scenario. DeVries knows and understands the pressure and expectations of this job. DeVries went with an experience-laden roster to try and win out of the gate. No problem with that, as the portal allows for it. But the roster was constructed horribly and that can be chalked up to a myriad of reasons.

The practical medium would have been to recruit a mixture of upperclassmen and underclassmen that you could develop along the way. Not sure the delusions of this fanbase would allow for any kind of trial and error though. What I do know is that he needs to absolute kill it in the portal this year or he's a dead man walking before the season starts. Just how things are around here.  

[AH1971]

2 hours ago, Kentuckysucks said:

He needs to do more than just make the tournament. Needs to be a really good season. A bubble team with a first weekend exit almost certainly equals an inevitable firing after year 3.

Not sure how he accomplishes much more than that unless he gets extremely lucky or Dolson can find him a lot more $.

And this is why this cycle we're in is no longer a cycle...

[Jeff Flabjohns]

Repeatedly being upper echelon in player spending and missing the 68 team tournament is a problem of coaching.
If not in next year…would be three straight misses while also having a top 15 spend on player salaries.

Theres grounds to can him if he misses next year but they’ll give him a third, which I’d think is fine. It’s all hypothetical but safe to say this season’s a bust

 

[Jeff Flabjohns]

3 minutes ago, AH1971 said:

And this is why this cycle we're in is no longer a cycle...

It’s not consistent with how most feel. After two tourneys in 9 years, most of us would just like to safely be in more times than not. Like many of our lower-spending peers in conference. 

[AH1971]

4 minutes ago, Jeff Flabjohns said:

It’s not consistent with how most feel. After two tourneys in 9 years, most of us would just like to safely be in more times than not. Like many of our lower-spending peers in conference. 

Most understand that wanting to run off a coach every one or two years isn't any kind of recipe in finding sustained success. Doesn't matter how much money you spend if you're constantly turning over your staff, roster, etc....there is literally no culture to foster in that scenario.

[iubb]

3 minutes ago, AH1971 said:

Most understand that wanting to run off a coach every one or two years isn't any kind of recipe in finding sustained success. Doesn't matter how much money you spend if you're constantly turning over your staff, roster, etc....there is literally no culture to foster in that scenario.

And is a giant res light to any coach that may want the job.

 

would you leave your current job for a new job that may pay you more, but has massive layoffs every year?

 

[Golfman25]

12 minutes ago, AH1971 said:

It's a chicken and an a egg scenario. DeVries knows and understands the pressure and expectations of this job. DeVries went with an experience-laden roster to try and win out of the gate. No problem with that, as the portal allows for it. But the roster was constructed horribly and that can be chalked up to a myriad of reasons.

The practical medium would have been to recruit a mixture of upperclassmen and underclassmen that you could develop along the way. Not sure the delusions of this fanbase would allow for any kind of trial and error though. What I do know is that he needs to absolute kill it in the portal this year or he's a dead man walking before the season starts. Just how things are around here.  

Well we have trial and error now.  Facts are facts.  He failed miserably on the roster this year.  And given the unfortunate results, I have no confidence that it will be better next year.  Who wants to play for IU these days, as our new tradition seems to be missing the tournament.  

[Jeff Flabjohns]

6 minutes ago, AH1971 said:

Most understand that wanting to run off a coach every one or two years isn't any kind of recipe in finding sustained success. Doesn't matter how much money you spend if you're constantly turning over your staff, roster, etc....there is literally no culture to foster in that scenario.

Sure. I generally agree. He gets 3 years regardless.
 

Just as my interest truly wanes in the program (thank you Cig), hopefully the financial investment in basketball also gets re-distributed to other programs that have shown results. Doesn’t mean handcuff him after one year, but another year like this of grossly mismanaging funds…

I’ll re-engage when there’s a product worth watching. AD/boosters should think the same. 

[AH1971]

Just now, Jeff Flabjohns said:

Sure. Just as my interest truly wanes in the program (thank you Cig), hopefully the financial investment in basketball also gets re-distributed to other programs that have shown results. Doesn’t mean handcuff him after one year, but another year like this of grossly mismanaging funds…

I’ll re-engage when there’s a product worth watching. AD/boosters should think the same. 

A complete reset of the basketball program is probably in the best interest long term. Been advocating that now for a few seasons. 

[Golfman25]

Just now, iubb said:

And is a giant res light to any coach that may want the job.

 

would you leave your current job for a new job that may pay you more, but has massive layoffs every year?

 

If I was a stud and they paid massive severance, hell yeah.  This whole no coach would want the job is BS.  They get paid big $$$.  I'll take a couple of million to coach one year and if you don't like it, I take several million to walk away.  What's not to like?  :)