So, the next Iowa men’s basketball coach may not have a team in this week’s NCAA tourney

Author’s note: Calling myself an author is hilarious, isn’t it? Anyway, this was written under the belief West Virginia was going to be in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. That’s what is known as a false assumption. Rather than rewrite this entirely Sunday night, I’ve opted to leave it and look forward. I advise everyone to do likewise.

Iowa’s next men’s basketball coach? He won’t tell you who he is today. He may not know himself.

After firing Fran McCaffery Friday, Iowa Athletic Director Beth Goetz now faces the other half of the equation: Hiring a replacement with the intention of reinvigorating Iowa men’s basketball fans.

No matter who it is, it almost surely will be a tricky situation. While the Hawkeyes’ season is done, you figure a leading candidate (or candidates) to be McCaffery’s successor probably has a team that’s still playing and hopes to play into April. His team didn’t just go 7-25 at Swishmore Community College.

That would slow the announcement of a hiring. Rare is the coach who announces he’s a short-timer during an NCAA tournament.

Even with a gentlewoman’s/gentleman’s agreement in place, that coach would have to be quite the multitasker to prepare a team for the pinnacle of its season while studying NCAA transfer portal entrants and trying to establish relationships with them.

It was no surprise Saturday morning to learn Hawkeye center Owen Freeman has entered the portal. He’s an impact player who probably spent the rest of Saturday fielding texts and calls from coaches in high places. His bank account is about to get fatter.

There will be more. Guard Josh Dix has a season of eligibility left, and it’s hard to imagine a college coach in America who couldn’t make room for him if he hit the road. Whither Brock Harding, Pryce Sandfort and every other Hawkeye with years left to play?

Are the three high school recruits McCaffery landed for next season — including four-star forward Joshua Lewis of Tampa — rethinking their verbal commitments? Speculate away.

Will Iowa’s next coach have an opportunity to convince those recruits to come aboard, and to persuade current Hawkeye players to stay put? These things move fast.

So, expect the import/export business at Carver-Hawkeye Arena to be frenzied before the new coach has had time to unpack a box in his new office. He’ll have to pound the portal hard just to fill out a roster that won’t be a foot wipe for the rest of the Big Ten next season.

Which brings us to Darian DeVries, the 49-year-old pride of Aplington, Iowa. Or at least the co-pride, since former Iowa/NFL football player Jared DeVries is also from there.

DeVries is the name you’ve probably heard the most as a candidate to be the next Iowa coach. He was hired at West Virginia last March 24, three days after his Drake team lost its first-round NCAA tourney game to Washington State.

West Virginia is 19-13 (10-10 in the Big 12) and seemingly headed to the NCAA tournament after going 9-23 last season. Of DeVries’ eight rotation players, two are freshmen. The other six are transfers DeVries brought to Morgantown.

Another transfer had his season end after eight games because of an upper body injury that required surgery. That’s senior small forward Tucker DeVries, the coach’s son and the two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year at Drake. He has 1,986 career points. He presumably will get a medical redshirt season for 2025-26.

Darian DeVries’ other transfers came from Illinois (two), Illinois-Chicago, Fresno State, Washington State and senior Javon Small, from Oklahoma State. Small averages 18.6 points and 5.6 assists and is a first-team All-Big 12 player.

So DeVries knows how to navigate the portal, you might say.

None of this is to say he’s absolutely Goetz’s main target or will be her hire. Nothing will be resolved until it’s resolved, and you better believe Iowa’s next coach will want some NIL assurances.

The NCAA revenue-sharing between schools and athletes that is set to start on July 1 won’t diminish the need for robust NIL collectives at major-conference schools.

As for DeVries, he and his players will learn Sunday where they’re headed and who they’ll play in the NCAA tournament. So will Drake with DeVries’ successor there, Ben McCollum. He’s being mentioned as a candidate for Indiana’s coaching opening. Who’s to say Iowa might not be in the picture as well?

West Virginia and Drake won’t be expected to advance out of the NCAA’s first week with two wins. Would it be best for Iowa if they don’t? Nah. A coach that makes a big splash in the big tournament would feel like a really big hire.

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com