Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - Why Darian DeVries Leaving West Virginia for Indiana is GREAT NEWS for Kansas & the Transfer Portal

Episode Date: March 19, 2025

Darian DeVries' move from the West Virginia Mountaineers to the Indiana Hoosiers could reshape the Kansas Jayhawks basketball landscape and offseason. How will this coaching change impact the Big 12 dynamics and Bill Self's transfer portal strategy?Explore the potential ripple effects of DeVries' departure on the Kansas Jayhawks basketball program. Host Derek Johnson examines the implications for Kansas, highlighting key players like Jonathan Powell and Malik Reneau as potential transfer targets. Discover how these changes might influence the Jayhawks' roster and their competitive edge in the Big 12. With insights into the broader college basketball scene, this discussion offers a fresh perspective on the evolving strategies of top teams.Tune in to uncover how Kansas might capitalize on these developments and what it means for their future success.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!NissanTake your adventures to new heights in the All-New Nissan Armada PRO-4X. Learn more at NissanUSA.com.Disclaimers: Optional features. Towing capacity varies by configuration. See Nissan Towing Guide and Owner’s Manual for additional information. Always secure cargo.Supply HouseJoin the Trade Master program today at SupplyHouse.com/TM and start ordering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies with just a few clicks. Plus, use promo code SH5 for 5% off your first order. That’s SupplyHouse.com!FabricJoin the thousands of parents who trust Fabric to help protect their families. Apply today in just minutes at MEETFABRIC.com/LOCKEDONCOLLEGE. 5-Hour ENERGYHead to 5-hourENERGY.com to find over 15 flavors to choose from, including Watermelon, Blue Raspberry, and Peach-Mango. Need one now? Grab a 5-hour ENERGY shot at your local grocery or convenience store—they’re everywhere! Stock up today and stay energized.UpworkVisit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free to connect with top talent and grow your business today!FactorLooking to optimize your nutrition this year? Eat smart with Factor. Get started at FACTOR MEALS.com/FACTORPODCAST and use code FACTORPODCAST to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping.Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGEfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Now, former West Virginia basketball coach Darian DeVries is current Indiana head basketball coach. I'm going to tell you why that's great news for the Kansas Jayhawks. You are Locked on Jayhawks, your daily podcast on the Kansas Jayhawks, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. What's going on? Derek Johnson here. This is Locked On Jayhawks. Thanks for making it your first listen every day. Thank you for every day. We're just catching each and every episode, including our bonus episodes like this

one free available anywhere you get your podcasts, including on our YouTube page where you can like and subscribe to the show. The news of the day during the vrees he was at West Virginia. Now he is going to Indiana will get into that news. Why I think it is such a big deal for Kansas in a couple different avenues and why it's good news for Kansas overall on today's episode of the show, including some possible transfer portal impact here in terms of debris with West Virginia and Indiana. It's possible

interesting fits for KU to look into in the transfer portal. So it's sorry here the news of the day, Indiana has hired Darien degrees away from West Virginia. It was the one year for degrees at West Virginia, he came over from Drake before that. And West Virginia should have made the NCAA tournament this year, they did have some injuries that kind of prevented the performance or maybe winning more games that would have, you know, seated them higher in the end, but they still should have made it with the 19 wins. They had a win at Allen Fieldhouse and we saw what type of coach Daring DeVries was. Like he did an excellent job against KU, especially in that first half that built up that big lead and eventually led to them, you know, winning the game at the very end.

And so, you know, from an immediate standpoint, like West Virginia is somebody Kansas plays, whether it's from an immediate standpoint, like West Virginia is somebody Kansas plays, whether it's once or twice per season, West Virginia is a school that when they are going right, when they have the right team and the right coach, we saw with Bob Huggins, they become one of the top contenders in the Big 12. And that was the case for some of those years against Kansas. So like that has a real impact on its own. And it also has an

impact because there's a chance this is the loan coaching hire besides Alex Jensen to Utah because seems like Colorado staying with Tad Boyle and seems like Bobby Hurley staying in Arizona State like this could be the one possible opening. So what is West Virginia going to do? Where does it go from here? But I think beyond that, I think this could have a real impact on the transfer portal for KU. So I want to touch on that here. This is locked on Jayhawks.

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And what if West Virginia gets an even better coach? DeVries is a good coach, but what if they hit an even bigger home run? What if they don't? You know what I mean? What if they fall flat on their face there and it ends up being an easier game for KU? But I think the transfer portal is the biggest immediate one, especially in an offseason for KU, right? But I think the transfer portal is the biggest immediate one, especially in an off season for KU, where you're bringing in Darren Peterson, you're gonna be losing a lot of players,

whether it's seniors graduating like KJ Hunter, Dewan Harris, right? Shaquille Moore, or players who could possibly be transferring out of the program, which we wait and see who it is, but certainly you could probably think of a couple names that would be interested in transferring from KU, and we'll see how that all goes. Point being, there's gonna to be a lot of roster spots to fill and could Kansas bring in,

you know, some maybe some diamond in the rough freshman recruits at this point late in the game? Yeah, of course. But they're going to have to fill the rest of the roster with some transfers, even if it is something where, you know, you don't want the roster to be built totally on transfers, as we've kind of seen this past couple years where Bill Self does well with people returning in the program. So you look at leaving West Virginia with DeVries. Obviously, there's a chance that some of the players leave with him from West Virginia to Indiana. But what if they use this an opportunity to kind of test the market, see what's out there and maybe KU has some interest. There's already one guy who's in the transfer portal right now.

That's Jonathan Powell. He is a six foot six wing, basically a shooter, 8.3 points per game, 3.1 rebounds, no other stat above point seven. He's under 38% on field goal percentage this year, it's just because like all the shots are threes. Good three point shooter, though 35.2% on 5.7 attempts. So good volume overall, and he is about 43% on corner three. So again, good shooter. He is somebody that I'm circling a little bit because it's like, it's like a, it's like a worst

version of when, when you brought in Rylan Griffin, not quite as good as he was coming when Rylan was coming out of Alabama. But let's say you do lose Rylan Griffin to the transfer portal at the end of the season. If he's unhappy with how went. At that point, do you think about bringing on a guy like this to give you that shooter? On the flip side, it didn't really, it doesn't seem to work with these players with Bill Self. I don't think he wants one dimensional shooters, so maybe you don't want to kick the tires on that, but certainly at least an interesting name there. Maybe the big name that's available for us, Virginia. Unfortunately, Javon small, not available. Unfortunately, the big man who went off for like 15 points in our field house. He's

he's a senior just like small graduating, but a Monte Hansberry, he did not play in the game in Lawrence, he was injured. But he's a he's an interesting player, six foot eight, 240 pounds, averaged 9.8 points, six and a half rebounds this season to go with 1.4 assists per game. He started his career at Illinois, then went to West Virginia this past season. And then, you know, again, like maybe he's not going to transfer. I'm just keeping an eye on it in case he does.

But can shoot the three a little bit, only 29% of 3.9 attempts per game. That tells me he has a lot of confidence in the shot. And maybe with another off season, you get that up to 33% that not that I'm saying that's the focal point of the offense. But as I'm looking at big men for KU to add, I'm looking at a couple things. One, could you be a reliable backup and be happy in that role behind Flory Badunga? Two, could you be a big man that maybe you can play backup five, but you can also play next to Flory because I do think Bill Self wants to play some too big basketball. And so Hansberry would give you the opportunity

to have two players who could crash the offensive glass with Flory and Hansberry. If it's a thicker center matchup at 240 pounds, maybe he takes him and Flory works the outside, right? You can kind of invert that on the offensive and defensive end and he at least has shown the ability to take those attempts from the outside that you can make that work maybe a little bit with Flory. And he at least has shown the ability to, you know, take those attempts from the outside that you can make that work maybe a little bit with Flory.

So he becomes an interesting name to me if he does enter post this Daring and DeVries news. The other one is this would not be one that I would be interested in, just because I don't think like, it's one thing, if you have four shooters or four players who can shoot, and then one player who can't, I think it's fine. Flory Badunga is that player for Kansas. I'm not saying the four players who can shoot and then one player who can't, I think it's fine. Florid Badunga is that player for Kansas.

I'm not saying the four players around Florid have to be great shooters, but you probably need at least two of them to be good shooters and one of them to at least be an average shooter, if not, you know, one to be a great shooter, one to be a good shooter, and one to be an above average shooter, and then another to just to be a shooter in some form or fashion.

So it becomes difficult to bring in an on shooter. Sincere Harris is a 6 four guard who 11% from three. That's a no thank you for me, but he is an excellent defender. And I could see Bill's elf liking that. So I don't know. Kind of interesting there. But maybe the bigger names are from Indiana, because now the Daring DeVries goes to Indiana

do some of these players test. Well, we already saw, I think it was Gabe Cups this morning. It was like former four star crew. He hasn't really done much at Indiana yet. The bigger name that happened, I don't know, maybe an hour ago or something, Malik Renault, six foot nine, 232 pounds. He's a four slash five man for Indiana. Now they've been playing some too big basketballs, Renault more at the four, and that hasn't always worked for Indiana. They've been a little bit too clunky. So if you're Kansas, is it smart to bring in a guy

that maybe, you know, the idea there is, hey, he should be playing the five more than the four and say, no, we're gonna bring him in to play the four. I don't know, but there is a world that you could work at where you bring in Malik Renault and if Florid Badunga is giving you 24 minutes per game, 25 minutes per game at the center position, right? Let's say that Bryson Tiller gives you some minutes there.

Let's say you could give Malik Renaud eight minutes as the backup five and you give him another, I don't know, 17 minutes as the foreman next to Florid or next to, you know, when you're playing Bryson Tiller at the five to where he can shoot it a little bit. And maybe you can make that work because Renault is an excellent player, 55% from the floor, 73 at the foul line,

13.3 points per game, five and a half rebounds per game. Season before 15 point, four points per game and six rebounds per game. He's a very interesting player. Now, again, I would prefer the money go to a big wing who can shoot to play the four. I'd prefer the money to go to like a really good, you know, guard who can create his own shot and score.

But this would at least be an interesting name to keep an eye on. And it also is interesting because it's kind of like, okay, if he goes somewhere else, what if they use their NIL big money on that player and that allows you to get somebody else, right? Then you look at another one, Miles Rice, if you are looking for more of the guard, here is what peaks my interest. Again, this player has not entered the transfer portal,

but this is just me that get out loud that, you know, with a coaching change, a lot of times that happens, right? And so Miles Rice was at Washington State for, it was a couple seasons. He had one season where he was out with injury and he comes back and leads Washington State to an NCAA tournament win last season. 14.8 points per game. This season at Indiana, it wasn't a great fit because he's not a great three-point shooter.

He's better from the mid-range. And because they're playing too big and there's not a ton of spacing, it becomes more difficult for him. Still put up 10.1 points per game, 2.8 assists per game, one steal per game. So like he was still doing, it's not like it was just a disaster, right? 41% from the floor, 32.5% from three, 82 at the foul line, right? So, you know, modest numbers, but one that if I think you have the better pieces around him works well. I don't think they had the right pieces around him. That would be one that I would be very interested in because he can play on ball, he can play off ball a little bit. And I think that would work kind of really nicely

with Darren Peterson. Now, I don't know where things are going to go. I don't even know if he's going to enter the portal. I don't know what other players, what other options are going to enter the portal at that point where, you know, things would fall in the pecking order if he did. But it is at least an interesting name. And then the last one here.

Well, dare I say Mackenzie Mbako. I mean, after that whole kerfuffle, and that's not the right word. After that whole thing happened with Kansas, I think they feel too betrayed to go into it. But you know, if you're talking about somebody who could play at the four position next to Florida, but Dunga he averaged 12.2 points per game on 33%

from three on four and a half attempts per game, 44% from the field, six foot nine, give you size, you can play the four. But no, I don't think that would happen. But the other one to keep an eye on is Bryson Tucker. So he was a former top 30 recruit in the country and Kansas was in on him to some degree. He ended up picking Indiana and as a freshman,

modest season, 5.4 points, 2.9 rebounds per game, the shooting efficiency wasn't really there, but top 30 recruits or six, seven wings, you could play the three or the four developing in year two. That sounds like a risk I'd be willing to take if I was a kid. So again, he's not in the portal either, but if he enters, if Miles Rice enters, I'd be very interested with Malik Renaud. I'm kind of hesitant. I'm open to it a little bit.

At the same point, not really. Again, same kind of goes for Amani Hansberry, but yeah, those are the immediate ones. What else? What other impact could this have on KU down the road now that Tucker DeVries is in Indiana? This episode of the show is brought to you by Nissan and the all new 2025 Nissan Armada.

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great as Bob Huggins was and had teams that got very close to Indian Allen Fieldhouse and were contending, they never did that. And yes, it's a little bit different. The different factors this Kansas team is worse than the ones that Bob Huggins is having to play against. I feel pretty good that, you know, if you were put like prime Jevon Carter team, they probably win the game in Allenfield that's this year too. But your point being he's a

good coach and you get one out. The thing is now it's the risk of could they bring in a better one? Could they bring in just as good of a coach? Or could it be a worse one? Because it is a really strong program when they get going. We've seen that we've seen the ability there. At the same point in time, this is a program that's going to be on its fourth coach in three years. So how does that rockiness? How does that affect things? You know, the transfer

portal can go both ways that uncertainty that all those quick changes can certainly have a negative impact on that that can lead to a quick downhill, kind of snowball momentum type of thing. But because of the transfer portal, you can bring in the right hire at any time. And he hits a home run right away and you're back to contending in year one. So it would be interesting. And I'll be interested to see who that next head coach gets the calling. And then you got to think too, like there's going to

be more ripples to this, right? Whatever coach takes the West Virginia job. Now the previous school he was at is hiring somebody else, right. And And eventually it's going to lead to more transfer portal players entering again, some of them just follow their coach. But yeah, I mean, there could be more portal options that come out of this from whoever the next head coaches and more movement across college basketball. But I don't know for this episode of Lockdown Jayhawks, you can find

a show anywhere you get your podcast. Don't forget to check out some of our recent content talking KU against Arkansas in the NCAA tournament. We're gonna have more tomorrow on what player matchups are going to decide the first round matchup between the Jayhawks and the hogs. We'll see you next time with locked on Jayhawks.