AD Wren Baker Gives a Vivid Reason Why Coach Darian DeVries Moves to IU: “DeVries’ Love for Money Over Loyalty Is So Deep”
In a stunning twist that has reverberated throughout the college basketball world, West Virginia University’s Athletic Director Wren Baker didn’t hold back when discussing the abrupt departure of head coach Darian DeVries to Indiana University. Speaking during an impromptu press conference, Baker’s sharp words sliced through the usually sanitized language of collegiate transitions.
“DeVries’ love for money over loyalty is so deep,” Baker declared, his voice steady but visibly edged with disillusionment. “He didn’t just chase the bag—he dove into it headfirst, leaving behind a program he promised to rebuild.”
Only six months prior, DeVries was hailed as the strategic savior of WVU basketball. After years of turbulence, his arrival from Drake University was seen as the start of a new era. Armed with a reputation for disciplined defense and player development, he was given the keys to the program and a five-year contract worth $11 million. Baker championed the hire as a cornerstone move: a man of integrity ready to roll up his sleeves.
But the story unraveled quickly. After a modest but promising 15–14 inaugural season, rumors began swirling that Indiana University—reeling from a series of disappointing finishes and coaching instability—had set its sights on DeVries. The Hoosiers, one of the most storied programs in NCAA history, were reportedly prepared to offer a deal topping $21 million over six years, plus full control over staffing and recruiting infrastructure.
DeVries accepted the offer without even notifying his current players directly, according to internal WVU sources.
“This was never about the game,” Baker said. “It was about glamor, exposure, and money. That’s the disease infecting college sports right now, and Coach DeVries just became its latest symptom.”
IU’s campus welcomed DeVries like a returning hero. Fans flooded social media, celebrating what they called a “Big Ten power move.” But in Morgantown, disbelief turned to betrayal. Players who had transferred in under DeVries’ promise of a stable culture found themselves leaderless. Baker described the locker room as “a ghost town of broken trust.”
WVU is now scrambling to pick up the pieces—again.
“We invested in DeVries not just financially but emotionally, institutionally,” Baker continued. “He sold us on commitment, on the long haul. And when the spotlight from Bloomington glared, he evaporated.”
While some observers say Baker’s remarks were unusually blunt, others commend the AD for saying aloud what many administrators feel but rarely express.
“He told the truth,” said an anonymous Big 12 athletic director. “Coaches preach loyalty to players every day. But when the dollar signs start flashing, it’s amazing how quickly that loyalty fades.”
In a college sports landscape increasingly driven by money and media exposure, Wren Baker’s comments serve as a scorching indictment of shifting values. Whether DeVries thrives at Indiana or not, his legacy at WVU may be permanently tarnished—not for losing games, but for walking away from a promise.
