Iowa
Iowa basketball: What’s next for Hawkeyes after Indiana hires Darian DeVries?
Indiana basketball has hired Darian DeVries as its next head men’s basketball coach, the program announced Tuesday.
DeVries will leave his post as the head coach at West Virginia for the job with the Hoosiers.
DeVries had been viewed as a potential replacement for Fran McCaffery at Iowa.
McCaffery spent 15 seasons as Iowa’s head coach and is the program’s all-time winningest head coach. But one day after Iowa’s loss to Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament, Iowa decided to move in a different direction, ending McCaffery’s tenure at Iowa. The Hawkeyes missed the last two NCAA Tournaments.
DeVries has ties to Iowa — both the state and the university. He is an Iowa native, attended Aplington-Parkersburg High School and played basketball at Northern Iowa. DeVries’ brother, Jared, was a consensus All-American for the Hawkeye football program.
DeVries took his first head coaching job at Drake in 2018. DeVries spent six seasons as Drake’s head coach, where he led the Bulldogs to an NCAA Tournament three times, including in each of the last two seasons at the helm. DeVries won at least 20 games in each of his six seasons with the Bulldogs.
DeVries tallied a 150-55 overall record during his time as Drake’s head coach.
In 2024, DeVries left for the opening at West Virginia.
In his first season at West Virginia, DeVries led the Mountaineers to a 19-13 overall record. He helped West Virginia to multiple marquee wins, knocking off Gonzaga, Arizona, Kansas and Iowa State.
In an unexpected turn, West Virginia did not make the NCAA Tournament this year. The Mountaineers were among the first four teams left out of the field of 68.
Combined between his Drake and West Virginia tenures, DeVries holds an overall record of 169-68 (.713). He has been to the NCAA Tournament three times.
DeVries to Iowa would’ve made sense on multiple levels. But that won’t come to fruition.
He will instead take over at a Big Ten foe. Indiana has featured a revolving door of head coaches as the program tries to revitalize the winning ways it achieved under Bob Knight. DeVries will try to be the solution to that.
So where could Iowa go from here?
It’s important to note that coaching searches are not an exact science. If you have been following the developments around Iowa and other college jobs over the last few days, it’s likely you get a sense that the public narrative can change rather quickly. That is the nature of this business.
The two names that have generated the most public buzz for the Iowa opening are DeVries and Drake’s Ben McCollum.
Like DeVries, McCollum has ties to the state of Iowa. McCollum was born in Iowa City and raised in Storm Lake. He started his playing career at North Iowa Area Community College.
In 15 seasons as the head coach at Division II Northwest Missouri State, McCollum tallied an overall record of 394–91 (.812). He helped lead Northwest Missouri State to four Division II national titles in his 15 seasons at the helm.
And McCollum has continued to win at Drake.
This is his first season with the Bulldogs. After the departure of coach Darian DeVries to West Virginia, McCollum hasn’t missed a step. At 30-3 overall, Drake won both the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championships and is in the NCAA Tournament. Drake plays Missouri in the round of 64 on Thursday.
There is basically one major hole in McCollum’s resume. He has been a head coach at the Division I level for just one season. He has never been at a power conference program.
McCollum proved his winning ways translate from Division II to Division I, but would it also translate from mid-major to high-major?
Few things are guaranteed in coaching searches — if any at all. This means that it’s not certain that Iowa will be able to land McCollum. Or for director of athletics Beth Goetz to throw a curveball. The unknown is the beauty — and danger — of the coaching carousel.
It’s not like there aren’t other intriguing options out there. But the bigger question is how realistic it would be for them to end up at Iowa.
Mississippi State’s Chris Jans has ties to the state of Iowa. Utah State’s Jerrod Calhoun took the program to the NCAA Tournament in his first season at the helm. There is a litany of names that could fit, as we outlined last week.
We’re not going to speculate what might be going through Goetz’s mind at this moment. Because, as history has proven, there isn’t an excess of certainty floating around. Not just at Iowa, but for jobs across the country.
DeVries is out of the equation now. At least on paper, McCollum is a logical target. Beyond that, it gets murkier.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
Iowa
Tamin Lipsey injury update, the latest on Iowa State basketball guard
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger updates on Tamin Lipsey’s health
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger updates on Tamin Lipsey’s health
LAS VEGAS — After getting time to further evaluate Tamin Lipsey’s status, Iowa State basketball ruled out the senior standout before the Cyclones’ 78-60 win over Creighton on Tuesday, Nov. 25.
Beyond that, though, his status remains unclear. Following Tuesday’s win over the Bluejays, head coach T.J. Otzelberger said that Lipsey remains day-to-day with a groin injury.
“The decision was made this morning,” Otzelberger said. “Wanted to give it as much time as we could to see and Tamin certainly knows his body better, so we’ll just continue to evaluate it. It’ll stay as day-to-day, work with him and our training staff.”
It is not the same groin injury that Lipsey sustained towards the end of last season.
Lipsey’s latest injury occurred in the Cyclones’ 83-82 win over St. John’s. With 2:09 left in the game, Lipsey was hobbling while scrambling over to contest a shot. He went down to the side and did not return to the game.
Through five games this season, Lipsey is averaging 18.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.2 steals per game, while shooting 50.7% overall.
The Ames native was off to an impressive start this year and appeared to be the healthiest he had been in his career after playing through the 2024-25 season while dealing with various injuries. He suffered an MCL injury that required him to miss six weeks of the preseason, but there didn’t seem to be any lingering effects once he returned for the regular-season opener.
Although an exact timetable for a return is uncertain, Otzelberger said the emphasis is on Lipsey’s health.
Iowa State improved to 6-0 overall and awaits its opponent for the third game of the Players Era Festival. The Cyclones won both of their games against St. John’s and Creighton, but they’ll need to wait out the results of the remaining games on Tuesday to see if they’ll play in the championship, third-place contest or one of the consolation games.
“We don’t want him to feel any additional pressure,” Otzelberger said. “As much as we’re competitive and want to win every game, Tamin has done so much for our program. We want him to be healthy. We want his body to feel great, and we want him to be at his best, and we’ll be disciplined until that time comes.”
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
Iowa
Iowa Supreme Court upholds $4.25 million wrongful death verdict against Manchester police
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld a $4.25 million wrongful death verdict against the city of Manchester in the death of 31-year-old Gus Mormann, who died following a police chase in December 2020.
Mormann was killed after Lt. James Wessels of the Manchester Police Department continued a high-speed chase that other agencies had discontinued. The chase ended when Wessels crashed into Mormann’s motorcycle, severely injuring him. Mormann died about a month later from his injuries.
The case was never initially investigated until Mormann’s family took matters into their own hands, according to their attorney, Dave O’Brien.
“This case, for example, was never even investigated. No one would have ever heard of it if this family hadn’t sat down and said We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” O’Brien said.
Mormann’s mother, Sandra, described her son as someone who “had a lot of friends, everybody just loved him.” She said he was known as a character who always made people laugh and was an avid outdoorsman. Mormann lived with schizophrenia and had previous encounters with Manchester police.
On December 10, 2020, Mormann was riding his motorcycle despite having a suspended license when a police chase began. Eight law enforcement officers from the state patrol, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, and the Manchester Police were involved as Mormann travelled at 100 mph.
The State Patrol and County Sheriff’s Office discontinued the chase, but Wessels continued pursuing Mormann. O’Brien said the police officer bumped Mormann’s motorcycle twice, causing him to crash.
Initially, Mormann’s parents were only told their son had gone into a ditch and was thrown from his motorcycle.
A jury found the police were reckless and disregarded Mormann’s rights, awarding the family $4.25 million. The Iowa Supreme Court upheld that verdict last week.
O’Brien said cases like this don’t happen often, but when they do, they set a precedent.
“We honour officers in Iowa, but if they are committing reckless, egregious, wrongful conduct, we’re going to hold them accountable,” O’Brien said.
The attorney noted this outcome would have been impossible without Mormann’s parents pushing for answers. Sandra Mormann said the family continues to grieve.
“Now we just have a broken heart, empty soul,” she said.
O’Brien said the city still has avenues to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but he believes that is unlikely to happen.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
25 burning questions we have entering the 2025-26 Iowa high school boys basketball season
Trevin Jirak on Valley basketball’s win over Waukee Northwest
Trevin Jirak breaks down Valley’s win over Waukee Northwest in the Iowa high school basketball state championship. The Tigers claimed their third-straight title.
The Iowa high school boys basketball season is almost here.
The Des Moines Register came up with 25 questions we’re asking about the upcoming IHSAA season, which begins on Dec. 1. Most questions focus on Des Moines-area teams, but our staff was also curious about teams and players all around the state.
The answers to these questions will be revealed over the next few months.
25 questions entering the 2025-26 Iowa high school boys basketball season
- What does back-to-back-to-back state champion Valley look like under a new head coach and without players like Jayden McGregory, Kiki Deng, Trevin Jirak and Zay Robinson?
- With three of its five starters back – including Division I-bound big men Colin Rice and Landon Davis – is last season’s runner-up Waukee Northwest the favorite in Class 5A?
- Ames graduated most of its starting lineup from last year’s 21-win campaign. How many wins can the Little Cyclones pull off this season?
- Who will fill the Anthony Galvin-sized gap in Cedar Falls’ lineup?
- Cael LaFrentz scored 400 points as a sophomore and 701 as a junior. Can he break the 800-point mark in his final season of high school basketball?
- Is Des Moines Roosevelt the top team in the DMPS?
- Only one team across the state finished last season with an undefeated record. Can any programs do that this year?
- Players like Jevyn Severson (Madrid) and Pete Craig (Waukee) made an instant impact in their freshman year. Who will be the top first-year high school player in the state this season?
- Does Cedar Rapids Kennedy bring back enough firepower to return to the Casey’s Center for the fifth-straight season?
- Can Hudson Lorensen, Hudson Shull and Trey Bryte lead ADM back to the state tournament – and past the semifinals?
- Who will emerge as the best big man in Iowa?
- Will junior Lincoln Norris (Knoxville) sink over 100 3-pointers for the second-straight season?
- Can MOC-Floyd Valley make another surprising run in the state tournament, despite graduating three starters from last year’s championship-winning lineup?
- Dallas Center-Grimes graduated its leading scorer and leading assist-getter. Who will take over for Kyle Cason and Mateo Dzolota?
- Only one Iowa high school boys basketball player has ever scored over 1,000 points in a single season: Wapsie Valley’s Brooks McKowen in 2003. Are there any players capable of hitting that mark this year?
- Madrid capped an undefeated season with the Class 1A state title. After graduating three starting seniors – Brody Buck, Fabian Ortiz-Alaniz and Toryn Severson – can the Tigers make it back to the tournament?
- Will Des Moines Christian make it to the state tournament after coming up short last season?
- Jaxon Clark opted to return to Keokuk instead of playing for Montverde Academy. Will he lead the state in rebounds?
- Iowa City Liberty relied on a lot of young players last year. Can Jerimiah Washpun – who scored 437 points – and his teammates help the Lightning to a winning record?
- Dual-sport recruit Evan Jacobson opted to play his final season of high school basketball instead of graduating early. How far can he take Waukee after leading the Warriors in points and rebounds last year?
- Of the top 10 scorers in Class 5A from last season, seven graduated. Will Rio Aguirre (Ankeny), Washpun (Iowa City Liberty), Tevin Schultz (Dubuque Senior) or someone else emerge as the top scorer in Iowa’s largest class?
- What does Linn-Mar look like without Davis Kern on the court?
- It’s been a couple of years since Pryce Sandfort (Waukee Northwest) scored over 600 points in a single season. Will any player in Class 5A break the 600-point mark?
- West Lyon came up short last season, losing to Western Christian in the state title game. Can Jorden Meyer, Jared Ciesielski and Ben Meyer lead the Wildcats back to the state tournament?
- Which program – across all four classes – has the best shot of winning its first-ever state championship?
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
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