Drake basketball coaching candidates: 9 possible options to replace Darian DeVries

Darian DeVries is departing Drake men’s basketball for West Virginia and a position as a Power 5 conference head coach.

The 48-year-old native of Aplington, Iowa, spent six seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs, helping Drake to three NCAA Tournament appearances in four years (2021, 2023, 2024) and two Missouri Valley Conference championships.

He compiled a 150-55 overall record while in Des Moines.

Prior to Drake, DeVries spent nearly two decades as an assistant coach under Greg McDermott at Creighton.

As the Bulldogs prepare to move on from one of the most successful coaches in program history, here’s a look at possible coaching candidates who could replace DeVries at Drake.

Names are listed in alphabetical order.

JR Blount, Iowa State assistant coach

The Cyclones assistant coach is in his third season under T.J. Otzelberger and has more than a decade of coaching experience. He’s helped Iowa State to a 70-34 record and three trips to the NCAA Tournament – including a spot in the Sweet 16 this year.

Blount has been a key part of ISU’s recruiting success. He helped construct Iowa State’s lockdown defense and is a favorite among peers and players.

Oh, and he’s no stranger to Drake. He served as the director of basketball operations and an assistant coach across four seasons in Des Moines.

Matt Gatens, Iowa assistant coach

The former Iowa starter and current Hawkeyes assistant coach is an easy choice to put on this list. He’s an Iowa City native who spent four seasons on DeVries’ staff, first as the director of operations and then as an assistant coach before departing Des Moines for Iowa City.

Gatens helped guide Drake to four straight 20-win seasons – and nearly 100 total wins. The Bulldogs won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title (2019) and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament (2021) with Gatens on staff.

Eric Henderson, South Dakota State coach

Henderson just finished his fifth season as head coach of the Jackrabbits. He spent three years as an assistant before rising to the rank of associate head coach ahead of the 2018-19 season.

In five years as head coach, Henderson compiled a 109-48 overall record. His team has never finished worse than second in the Summit League standings, and he led the Jackrabbits to at least a share of the conference’s regular-season title in three seasons.

Jeff Horner, Truman State coach

Horner is a good example of a coach who worked his way up. The current Truman State leading man served as an assistant coach at Grand View University and as the varsity boys basketball head coach at West Des Moines Valley before joining North Dakota's staff.

A Mason City native, Horner frequently builds his roster by recruiting players from his home state. Horner – a former Hawkeyes player – has compiled a 104-66 record in six seasons at Truman State. He even produced an NBA player, Brodric Thomas.

Ben McCollum, Northwest Missouri State coach

The word success doesn’t even begin to describe what McCollum has brought to Northwest Missouri State. The Storm Lake native played college basketball for the Bearcats and then returned to his alma mater after a four-year assistant coaching stint at Emporia State.

In 14 seasons as the Bearcats head coach, McCollum has compiled a career record of 365-86. He is a five-time NABC Division II National Coach of the Year, the 2019 John McLendon National Coach of the Year (all divisions), and two-time Clarence “Big House” Gaines National Coach of the Year.

McCollum has led Northwest Missouri State to 12 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association regular-season titles, seven MIAA tournament titles (most recently in 2023), and has been named the conference’s coach of the year nine times (most recently in 2024).

Dean Oliver, Wisconsin assistant coach

Oliver, a native of Mason City, joined the Badgers after coaching stints at North Dakota and Illinois State. The former Iowa player and All-Big Ten guard wrapped up his seventh season with Wisconsin after being named an assistant coach in 2017.

He brings more than a decade of coaching experience to the table. At Wisconsin, he has helped the Badgers to two Big Ten regular-season championships, most recently in 2021-22.

Marty Richter, Drake assistant coach/current interim head coach

A native of Waterloo and a Simpson College graduate, Richter worked as an assistant under DeVries for all six seasons of his tenure. He helped Drake to a 150-55 overall record, three appearances in the NCAA Tournament and two Missouri Valley Conference championships.

Richter has played a large role in Drake’s recruiting during his time with the Bulldogs and was instrumental in bringing players like Tremell and Anthony Murphy and D.J. Wilkins to Des Moines.

Daniyal Robinson, Cleveland State coach

Should Robinson get the job at Drake, it would bring the current Cleveland State coach back to Iowa.

The 47-year-old Illinois native served as an assistant at Iowa State from 2008-10 and then returned to Ames to work on Steve Prohm’s staff in 2015. He was retained as an assistant when Otzelberger became head coach in 2021, before leaving for the head coaching position at Cleveland State in 2022.

During his time with the Cyclones, Robinson helped Iowa State to two Big 12 Tournament titles and four berths in the NCAA Tournament. He helped coach 12 athletes to the NBA.

Cleveland State has a 42-29 in Robinson’s two seasons as head coach.

Preston Spradlin, Morehead State coach

Spradlin just completed his seventh season as Morehead State’s head coach. Prior to taking over as head coach, he spent much of the 2016-17 season as interim head coach. He has spent over a decade working with a Division I program.

Spradlin turned around the program he inherited in recent years. He went from an 8-21 record in his first season to a 26-9 record in 2023-24. Morehead State is 128-100 under Spradlin’s direction.

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drake basketball: Possible candidates to replace Darian DeVries