How is Darian DeVries Doing So Far?

[American HoosierX]

On 2/21/2026 at 9:25 PM, Golfman25 said:

Coach DDv doesn’t have the clout to build a top 25 roster.  He has to coach up what he can get and work from there.  Make the tournament and he’ll be headed in the right direction.  

Money greatly decreases the need for “clout” to build a roster.

If you’re top 25 in spending, I don’t think it’s at all unreasonable to expect to have a top 25 roster.

[Golfman25]

2 hours ago, American HoosierX said:

Money greatly decreases the need for “clout” to build a roster.

If you’re top 25 in spending, I don’t think it’s at all unreasonable to expect to have a top 25 roster.

The problem with that line of thinking is that everybody has money.  So if you're choosing between, lets say Bill Self, Dan Hurley, and CDDv, how much money will make a difference?  I want money, but I also want to win.  2 of those are proven winners right now.  One is working on it, and hopefully gets there soon.  

[American HoosierX]

1 hour ago, Golfman25 said:

The problem with that line of thinking is that everybody has money.  So if you're choosing between, lets say Bill Self, Dan Hurley, and CDDv, how much money will make a difference?  I want money, but I also want to win.  2 of those are proven winners right now.  One is working on it, and hopefully gets there soon.  

You said DDV's lack of clout is the barrier to building a top 25 roster. I don't agree.

1) There aren't that many truly elite coches, certainly not 25 of them. So I don't think naming a few top 5 examples really supports your point that much. 

2) The coaching "clout" matters a lot more when the money is equal. When it's not equal, it's going to matter a lot less (and yes, I fully realize some kids will take less money to play an elite coach/program). Objectively, coaching "clout" is much less important in the NIL age than it used to be. 

3) If you're in the top 25 in spending, by definition you're going to be able to outspend those outside of the top 25.

IMO, our main barrier to having a top 25 roster isn't money or clout, it's talent evaluation/roster construction and prioritizing our spend on the right guys. I think DDV having a full offseason with a full staff and GM will have majors benefits there.

 

[Asha’man]

5 hours ago, str8baller said:

The initial comparison with Sisley was around potential transfers. Ware and Newell both transferred after their minute drops.  I can’t find a Tre “Morgan”. If AI in all its genius means Tre Norman at Marquette, then he hasn’t transfer but he’s never found consistent minutes or production in 3 years there.  
 

Let’s hope Sisley doesn’t go down any of those paths. 

That could have been me just with a typo. I didn’t copy and last it all. 

[Asha’man]

2 hours ago, Golfman25 said:

The problem with that line of thinking is that everybody has money.  So if you're choosing between, lets say Bill Self, Dan Hurley, and CDDv, how much money will make a difference?  I want money, but I also want to win.  2 of those are proven winners right now.  One is working on it, and hopefully gets there soon.  

Then we go get players that are good enough from schools that don’t have the money. Kansas and UConn are playing. Teams like Wisconsin, Houston, Purdue, etc aren’t paying what IU has available. 
 

I do cut the staff some slack this season because it’s was an entirely new roster. Next year there will be some carryover plus freshmen. So less holes to fill but a bulk of the money available. Let’s see what they do. I’m excited about the new hire to help the roster building as well. 

[Home Jersey]

2 minutes ago, Asha’man said:

Then we go get players that are good enough from schools that don’t have the money. Kansas and UConn are playing. Teams like Wisconsin, Houston, Purdue, etc aren’t paying what IU has available. 
 

I do cut the staff some slack this season because it’s was an entirely new roster. Next year there will be some carryover plus freshmen. So less holes to fill but a bulk of the money available. Let’s see what they do. I’m excited about the new hire to help the roster building as well. 

UConn doesn't spend as much as some may think and Purdue may have spent roughly as much if not more on this year's roster than we did.

I agree with your second blurb entirely. Just pointing out the above to say, basically, there's a threshold you have to hit to be competitive and IU is definitely above the threshold. "Clout" may cause us to lose out on some top guys, but like you said, there are enough talented players in the portal every year that, with our budget, a top 25 team can and should be fielded.

I think that's a lot tougher to do with the situation DDV walked into, but with a year under his belt, next season should be better IMO. I wonder how many spots we try to fill/flip. No doubt many lessons learned since he took this job. Excited to see the year 2 roster. Gotta finish strong now though. 

[Golfman25]

2 hours ago, American HoosierX said:

You said DDV's lack of clout is the barrier to building a top 25 roster. I don't agree.

1) There aren't that many truly elite coches, certainly not 25 of them. So I don't think naming a few top 5 examples really supports your point that much. 

2) The coaching "clout" matters a lot more when the money is equal. When it's not equal, it's going to matter a lot less (and yes, I fully realize some kids will take less money to play an elite coach/program). Objectively, coaching "clout" is much less important in the NIL age than it used to be. 

3) If you're in the top 25 in spending, by definition you're going to be able to outspend those outside of the top 25.

IMO, our main barrier to having a top 25 roster isn't money or clout, it's talent evaluation/roster construction and prioritizing our spend on the right guys. I think DDV having a full offseason with a full staff and GM will have majors benefits there.

 

As of now, CDDv is an unproven commodity at the P5 level.  He didn't make the tournament last year and is unfortunately on the bubble this year.  Dudes want to play in the NCAA tournament and right now there many better options to meet that goal.  That's why making the tournament this year is really important -- it puts CDDv on the right track to build that clout.  You can't just simply "buy" a roster -- exhibit, A Mike Woodson last year. 

Do we really have a talent evaluation problem?  How many guys did we "miss" last year, and that includes the ones who wouldn't pick up the phone?  Maybe what we got, is the best we could get? 

The cure for our problems is: A) get into the tournament by hook or crook.  B) Start evaluating players for the portal and be ready to hit the ground running 5 days before the portal opens.  We may need to find some diamonds in the rough.  Hello Ryan Carr.   :)   

 

[American HoosierX]

1 hour ago, Golfman25 said:

As of now, CDDv is an unproven commodity at the P5 level.  He didn't make the tournament last year and is unfortunately on the bubble this year.  Dudes want to play in the NCAA tournament and right now there many better options to meet that goal.  That's why making the tournament this year is really important -- it puts CDDv on the right track to build that clout.  You can't just simply "buy" a roster -- exhibit, A Mike Woodson last year. 

Do we really have a talent evaluation problem?  How many guys did we "miss" last year, and that includes the ones who wouldn't pick up the phone?  Maybe what we got, is the best we could get? 

The cure for our problems is: A) get into the tournament by hook or crook.  B) Start evaluating players for the portal and be ready to hit the ground running 5 days before the portal opens.  We may need to find some diamonds in the rough.  Hello Ryan Carr.   :)   

 

Yes, kids want to play in the NCAA tournament, but the reality is that is not close to the most important thing. If Lamar Wilkerson's main goal was winning the NCAA tournament, he would not have gone to IU.

The order of operations, probably looks something like this:

1) How much am I getting paid? (by far most important)  2) How much can the coach develop me so I can get paid at the next level? 3) Am I going to win?

Schools having appeal at 1, 2, and 3 are generally going to be highly correlated, but that doesn't mean #3, or even #2, are truly driving decision-making for most kids.

But in most instances kids are going to come if we pay them more than other schools, that is just how this works. So again, if we are top 25 in roster spend, we should be able to field a top 25 team in terms of talent.

I have no idea if we have an ongoing talent evaluation problem or if circumstances last year were just really difficult (I would lean towards the latter). But if Reed Bailey is making $1.5M and Tucker is making $2M+, which I imagine he is, our ROI is on those players is not very high.

Ultimately, I do agree with you that making the tournament is going to be very important to establishing momentum and will help our recruiting. 

[Golfman25]

28 minutes ago, American HoosierX said:

Yes, kids want to play in the NCAA tournament, but the reality is that is not close to the most important thing. If Lamar Wilkerson's main goal was winning the NCAA tournament, he would not have gone to IU.

The order of operations, probably looks something like this:

1) How much am I getting paid? (by far most important)  2) How much can the coach develop me so I can get paid at the next level? 3) Am I going to win?

Schools having appeal at 1, 2, and 3 are generally going to be highly correlated, but that doesn't mean #3, or even #2, are truly driving decision-making for most kids.

But in most instances kids are going to come if we pay them more than other schools, that is just how this works. So again, if we are top 25 in roster spend, we should be able to field a top 25 team in terms of talent.

I have no idea if we have an ongoing talent evaluation problem or if circumstances last year were just really difficult (I would lean towards the latter). But if Reed Bailey is making $1.5M and Tucker is making $2M+, which I imagine he is, our ROI is on those players is not very high.

Ultimately, I do agree with you that making the tournament is going to be very important to establishing momentum and will help our recruiting. 

Sure but X doesn't = Y.  Resources don't necessarily equal a competitive roster.  You just can't buy a roster.  And you say it yourself -- the coach is at least the number 2 criteria.  CDDv doesn't have that history of sending kids to the NBA -- he hasn't been at the P5 level long enough. 

Now interesting that you mention Reed Bailey.  We forget that Texas, Kentucky and Kansas were all interested.  So it's not like he was some schlep nobody wanted.    We overpaid and won.  How's that working out?    

[Stuhoo]

15 minutes ago, Golfman25 said:

Sure but X doesn't = Y.  Resources don't necessarily equal a competitive roster.  You just can't buy a roster.  And you say it yourself -- the coach is at least the number 2 criteria.  CDDv doesn't have that history of sending kids to the NBA -- he hasn't been at the P5 level long enough. 

Now interesting that you mention Reed Bailey.  We forget that Texas, Kentucky and Kansas were all interested.  So it's not like he was some schlep nobody wanted.    We overpaid and won.  How's that working out?    

In the end, it comes down to player evaluation. So many factors enter into that evaluation:

• Fit in system
• Willingness of the player to work at development
• A kid that will play for the team's best interests regardless of their pay
• Physical/skill ability
• Mental toughness of the player when adversity hits
• Fit for projected role
• Value for the budget hit

Curt Cignetti is very good at many, many things, but evaluation, including all of those factors, is probably his ultimate superpower.

[Home Jersey]

12 minutes ago, Golfman25 said:

Sure but X doesn't = Y.  Resources don't necessarily equal a competitive roster.  You just can't buy a roster.  And you say it yourself -- the coach is at least the number 2 criteria.  CDDv doesn't have that history of sending kids to the NBA -- he hasn't been at the P5 level long enough. 

Now interesting that you mention Reed Bailey.  We forget that Texas, Kentucky and Kansas were all interested.  So it's not like he was some schlep nobody wanted.    We overpaid and won.  How's that working out?    

What is the point you're trying to make? That good players don't want to play for DDV? Genuinely asking for clarification. 

[American HoosierX]

3 hours ago, Golfman25 said:

Sure but X doesn't = Y.  Resources don't necessarily equal a competitive roster.  You just can't buy a roster.  And you say it yourself -- the coach is at least the number 2 criteria.  CDDv doesn't have that history of sending kids to the NBA -- he hasn't been at the P5 level long enough. 

Now interesting that you mention Reed Bailey.  We forget that Texas, Kentucky and Kansas were all interested.  So it's not like he was some schlep nobody wanted.    We overpaid and won.  How's that working out?    

I think we have different baselines in how we think about this, and that’s OK.

it was a fun discussion, thanks for your perspectives.

[Brass Cannon]

Not good.  

[sirhoosierlot]

Bad

[Mopladysman]

He’s cookin like the king. 

[Jeff Flabjohns]

TDv graduating is sadly the best thing Coach has going for him right now. Guy has no juice otherwise.
Put that $2M and 32 mpg to better use or the seat is white hot coming into 2027-2028. 

[iubb]

He still is not getting fired after one season.  
 

He gets this offseason to try and build the team in his image 

 

 

you fire him after one season in which he was not even hired until extremely late in the offseason and you will not get anyone with a pedigree to even want this job 

[Brass Cannon]

Just now, iubb said:

He still is not getting fired after one season.  
 

He gets this offseason to try and build the team in his image 

This team literally has his kid on it.  Can’t be more in his image than that 

[iubb]

Just now, Brass Cannon said:

This team literally has his kid on it.  Can’t be more in his image than that 

I  think you know what i mean.  

[Brass Cannon]

Just now, iubb said:

I  think you know what i mean.  

It’s the nil era. There was no reason not to Build a good roster last year