<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2reSMB_0vhsXMyo00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2reSMB_0vhsXMyo00" width="1200" height="630" >WVU Men’s Basketball senior forward Tucker DeVries was recognized as one of the top basketball players in the country by NCAA Basketball analyst Andy Katz ahead of the 2024-25 season.Katz ranked DeVries, a 6-foot-7-inch forward transfer from Drake University, as the sixth-best wing in the nation.In his last two seasons with Drake, DeVries received back-to-back Missouri Valley Player of the Year awards and conference tournament MVPs. Last season, he averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists with the Bulldogs and was the eighth-highest scorer in Division I men’s basketball.DeVries is versatile on the floor, shooting 44% from the field, 36% from three-point range and 81% from the free-throw line. He was the only player in Division I to average at least 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.5 steals per game last season.He has totaled 1,867 points in his career, averaging 18 points per game. DeVries has made 250 three-pointers over three seasons and scored double figures in 65 of his last 68 games.He helped lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.Drake’s offense was strong last season, as the team collectively shot 56.2% from the field, ranking 55th in the country. The Bulldogs ranked 21st in scoring differential with +9.0.Last year, DeVries was named an Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention selection and earned a spot on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District Team.After a strong first three seasons, DeVries is projected to be an early second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.Heading into his final year of eligibility, he followed his father, Darian DeVries, who was hired as the WVU men’s basketball head coach this offseason."[My dad] certainly felt like this is a place he can be successful and excited to be a part of, and we were all in full support of that. For me to be able to come here my senior year, I'm really looking forward to it," DeVries said following his father's hire in March.In the Bulldogs' loss in the NCAA Tournament last season, DeVries tallied 14 points and six assists. He spent a few months rehabbing after a surgery delay but was fully cleared to play in mid-July.“We’re still being somewhat careful with it and picking and choosing some spots and rebounding drills and things like that,” Darian DeVries said during a press conference in July regarding Tucker DeVries' recovery process.DeVries started in all three of WVU's exhibition games in Italy this summer. He shined in the third game, leading the team in scoring with 26 points.In the final game, he was five-of-seven from the three-point line and recorded five rebounds, four assists and four steals, contributing to his breakout performance.DeVries said he understands the challenges he will face entering the competitive Big 12.“Being at a higher level, there’s going to be more expectations. We’re both excited for that and ready to give everything we can to fulfill those expectations and get to where we need to be,” Tucker Devries told MetroNews in March.He will make his Mountaineer debut when the team takes on the University of Charleston in an exhibition game on Friday, Oct. 18, at the WVU Coliseum.</div></body>

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Tucker DeVries recognized as sixth-best wing in the country

WVU Men’s Basketball senior forward Tucker DeVries was recognized as one of the top basketball players in the country by NCAA Basketball analyst Andy Katz ahead of the 2024-25 season. Katz ranked DeVries, a 6-foot-7-inch forward transfer from Drake University, as the sixth-best wing in the nation. In his...