Darian DeVries Turns To Familiar Face As Mike Bargen Will Join Indiana Coaching Staff

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – From 1998 to 2013 and again from 2018 to 2024, Darian DeVries served as the head coach at Drake University within the Missouri Valley Conference.

For his most recent hire for his team, he looked towards another experienced MVC mentor, someone who had been an assistant coach during DeVries' developmental stages.

According to The Indianapolis Star, Mike Bargen, currently an associate head coach under Brian Wardle at Bradley University, will be joining DeVries' team in Indiana.

Previously, DeVries and Bargen collaborated when DeVries served as an assistant coach at Creighton during the 2000s, with Bargen working alongside him as a graduate assistant.

Bargen was with Creighton from 2001 to 2004. During their time on Dana Altman’s coaching staff alongside DeVries, Creighton made it to two NCAA Tournaments.

Throughout Bargen’s tenure with Wardle’s team, Bradley has consistently been a strong competitor in the region. During this period, Bradley achieved double-digit victories within their conference during five different seasons thanks to Bargen’s involvement as part of the coaching staff.

In 2019, Bradley secured both the MVC regular season title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They were poised to claim an automatic berth as the MVC Tournament winners in 2020, yet the tournament was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

As per Bradley's biography, "During his tenure at The Hilltop, Bargen has been instrumental in working closely with and recruiting six All-MVC picks along with seven All-Freshman recipients."

Prior to joining Bradley, Bargen served as the head coach at Butler Community College in Kansas. During his tenure in junior college athletics, he amassed an impressive record of 164 wins and 93 losses.

As a player, Bargen was Wardle’s teammate at Marquette, where Bargen played for the Golden Eagles from 1995 to 1999.

Barger has joined Nick Norton, Drew Adams, and Kenny Johnson as part of DeVries' team. Previously on Friday, Johnson had also been added. was said to be part of the Indiana team .

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This piece was initially released on www.si.com/college/indiana as Darian DeVries Relies on Known Quantity as Mike Bargen Joins Indiana Coaching Team .