For the second time in as many years, the Drake Bulldogs are headed to the NCAA men’s basketball. They punched their ticket Sunday with a hard-fought 84-40 victory over top-seeded Indiana State in the Missouri Valley Conference championship game. For head coach Darian DeVries and his son, star junior Tucker, this year felt so much sweeter than last.
The Missouri Valley Conference tournament, nicknamed ‘Arch Madness,’ has been a constant throughout Darian’s adult life. The former Northern Iowa standout played in the tournament four times as a student-athlete before joining the coaching staff at Creighton. He coached in the tournament with the Bluejays for 13 seasons before the school made the jump to the Big East, and has now added six more Arch Madness appearances after accepting the head-coaching job at Drake in 2018. But this year was different; for the first time in nearly two decades, Darian’s nephew wasn’t on the sideline cheering him on.
Easton DeVries, the son of Darian’s brother and 11-year NFL veteran defensive lineman Jared, passed away on July 28th after a lifelong battle with a congenital heart condition. His father and mother, Jamie, were in attendance Sunday to watch their family repeat as conference champions. It was an emotional day for the whole family, to say the least.
The Bulldogs started hot in the championship game, leading by as much as 14 in the first half before enjoying a 45-32 lead at the break. Scrappy Indiana State wasn’t going to go down without a fight, however. A spirited comeback piloted by Southern Indiana transfer junior Isaiah Swope evened the Sycamores with Drake with just over four minutes to play. Swope’s 10 consecutive Sycamore points and 17 points in just over four and a half minutes threatened to rain on the DeVries family’s parade. But the Bulldogs hung tough, and a complete team effort culminated in Tucker DeVries shooting free throws in the game’s waning seconds to ice the game for Drake. A 27 point, 7 rebound, 5 assist performance from the junior was enough to lead the team to victory and earn himself tournament Most Outstanding Player honors, but postgame, the 6-7 guard’s thoughts weren’t focused on the game.
“For him not to be here, it kind of hit home,” Tucker shared postgame, later adding in the press conference that his emotions hit him “all at once, that he wasn’t here.” The visibly shaken DeVries was consoled by his father, as he no doubt was in private by the remainder of his family.
For Tucker, Darian, and the rest of the Drake Bulldogs, they’ll learn their opponent in the NCAA tournament in one week’s time, on Selection Sunday. Until then, though, the DeVries clan will spend time with family and appreciate the moments and memories they share together.