Drake University men's basketball head coach Darian DeVries added yet another tremendous accomplishment to his first season at Drake Thursday afternoon when he was named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year.

DeVries was announced as the winner of the prestigious award during the MVC's annual Coach of the Year luncheon in St. Louis, Mo.

The honor caps a tremendous regular season in which DeVries took the reins of a Drake program that was slated to return just two letterwinners from a season ago with no incoming recruits.

Faced with the challenge of assembling a roster in mere weeks, DeVries and staff quickly put together one of the best teams in Drake history to claim the program's eighth Valley title, first since 2008 and second since 1971.

"This award is a team award," DeVries said. "I'm so thankful for the guys that I have and a staff that comes to work every day and makes what we do so enjoyable. They have such an energy and passion to teach and coach and that's what this award is about. I'm truly blessed to have such a great staff."
 
The Bulldogs' 23 wins are the third-most in program history and the team's 12 Valley wins are the fourth most ever by a Drake team. His debut season is the second most successful by a first-year head coach at Drake behind only Keno Davis' 28 wins in 2008. His 23 wins are also the most by a rookie head coach in the nation this season and the second most by a coach in his first season at a school.

"This group of guys, especially the three seniors, are truly inspirational to me," DeVries added of his team. "What they've been able to do for us a program this year is truly awesome. A lot of it is because of who they are as people. Their unselfishness, their resiliency and their love of the game is what makes what we do so much fun. They just want to play hard, be coached and have fun. I love that about them. Because of that, they ended up as co-champions in this league."

He is also the fourth MVC coach since 1980 to win a league title in his first season and the fifth Drake head coach to be named MVC Coach of the Year. He was preceded in Drake history by Keno Davis (2008), Rudy Washington (1993), Gary Garner (1982) and Maury John (1964, 1968, 1969, 1970).

DeVries leads the Bulldogs into the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Friday evening at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs, who enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed, and will face the winner of the No. 7 Illinois State / No. 10 Evansville game.