ST. LOUIS – Rarely has a Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year accomplished what Drake’s Darian DeVries did this season.
Drake was picked to finish ninth in the official preseason poll, but DeVries’ team shared the MVC regular-season title with Loyola.
DeVries received 44 of a possible 45 first-place votes to easily capture the award, which was announced at Thursday’s Coach of the Year luncheon to tip off the MVC tournament weekend.
The former Northern Iowa player and Creighton assistant led his team to league-best 23 victories despite inheriting a roster last spring, in his first year as a head coach, which included only three scholarship players and no incoming recruits.