Darian DeVries admitted he didn’t get much sleep Tuesday night. Just two to three hours, with an excited yet nervous energy keeping him up.
It was the night before DeVries made his Indiana men’s basketball head coaching debut inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. He has coached inside the nearly 54-year-old historic arena before as an assistant on an opposing team.
But never on the Hoosiers’ bench. And never as the leader of the famed program.
“It's just one of those things, just like you've done all the work and then it's like, ‘what about this, what about this, what about this, are we ready for that,’” DeVries said. “You're just anxious to get out there and go play. That's really what it was.”
Both changed Wednesday night, as Indiana earned a 98-51 victory over Alabama A&M in DeVries’ Hoosiers debut.
The Cream and Crimson knocked down 10 total 3-pointers in the contest. Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson made all four of his longballs in the first half, as the Hoosiers led by 36 points — their largest halftime lead in nearly 14 years.
Redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries connected on three of his four triples in the second half, eclipsing 2,000 career points as Indiana cruised to its season-opening victory.
The Hoosiers made a three-game exhibition trip to Puerto Rico in August. Then, they played two exhibition games against Marian University and Baylor University in October.
But on Wednesday, Indiana finally played in a contest that counted toward its record. No more contests where the result doesn’t matter remain.
“To be a regular season game certainly has a different feel and different vibe,” Darian DeVries said, “and I was a little worried tonight our guys were going to be too excited because they were so ready, so pumped to be out there tonight.”
Wilkerson said the Hoosiers finally saw the fruits of their labor over the summer come to fruition against the Bulldogs. Senior forward Reed Bailey, who scored a game-high 21 points, said making his Hoosier debut was “awesome.”
“We're all new here, and we just wanted to come out and be able to show what we can do,” Bailey said. “Then also for Coach DeVries it feels good to get him that first one because I feel like it's only just a start for him and what he's going to do here.”
After the contest, DeVries and the Hoosiers made a lap around the court to thank the fans sitting courtside. They did the same after its three contests in Puerto Rico.
But at Indiana, it’s different. DeVries thought Wednesday was a “fun night, a special night, and hopefully it's the first of many.”
“It's just one of these special places that there's not much like it in college basketball,” DeVries said. “It's certainly a privilege for us to be out there and our team and our coaches to be out there and performing.”
Indiana now has four days until it takes the floor again for a 1 p.m. Sunday matchup with Marquette University inside the United Center in Chicago. The Golden Eagles are the Hoosiers' first of four power conference opponents in their non-conference slate.
DeVries used an eight-man rotation (excluding walk-ons) Wednesday because of injuries. Junior guard Nick Dorn was listed as questionable pregame but didn’t suit up for the contest. Junior guard Jason Drake, sophomore forward Josh Harris and freshman guard Aleksa Ristic remain out due to lower-body injuries.
And for as much success Indiana had against Alabama A&M — 61.2% from the field and a perfect 16 for 16 from the free-throw line — it’ll be a stiffer test.
“We certainly understand that Sunday is going to be different than today, so we've got plenty to work on, plenty to continue to improve,” DeVries said. “But I like this group in that regard. They're all eager to get better. They just want to win. That's what makes this group fun to coach.”
But on Wednesday, DeVries opened his tenure in a way the past two Indiana head coaches failed to: with a dominant win, giving the Hoosier faithful hope in their beloved program.
Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson presented DeVries — the program’s 31st head coach — with his name on a custom ball in the locker room to mark his first win with the Hoosiers.
“This is a special night,” Dolson said. This is to celebrate Coach DeVries’ first victory. It’s the largest margin of victory for any first-time head coach in IU history.”
DeVries winked at Dolson before celebrating his first victory at the helm of the program with his squad.
“So thankful we got that opportunity,” DeVries said.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
