Darian DeVries explains why IU basketball fans will enjoy Conor Enright

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Darian DeVries and Conor Enright have a long history together.

Enright committed to DeVries and Drake University in November 2019 as a junior at Mundelein High School in Illinois. Enright, now 23, has known DeVries since he was 15 years old.

The 6-foot-2 point guard spent three years with DeVries at Drake, beginning with the 2021-22 season when he redshirted.

As a redshirt sophomore in the 2023-24 campaign – his third season in Des Moines – Enright started all 33 games he played in for the Bulldogs. He averaged 6.9 points, 3.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds and one steal in 26.1 minutes per game and was a major reason the program won the MVC conference tournament championship and earned an NCAA tournament bid.

After DeVries left Drake for West Virginia in the spring of 2024, Enright opted to transfer to DePaul to be closer to home. Last season for the Blue Demons, Enright averaged 6.2 assists and had the 16th-best assist rate in the country at 37.8 percent before suffering a torn labrum that ended his season in early February.

Shortly after DeVries arrived in Bloomington in March, Enright committed to the Hoosiers out of the transfer portal after also considering Iowa.

In an interview in April with Inside the Hall, Enright cited the opportunity to reunite with DeVries and winning as two critical factors in choosing the Hoosiers.

“I’ve got one year left and I want an opportunity to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament,” Enright said. “And I think with how much I trust coach DeVries, I know he’s a winner and combined with Indiana being a winning program, that’s the perfect combination.”

Along with his son, Tucker DeVries, the addition of Enright gives DeVries two players with experience in his system that will provide leadership next winter.

From the beginning, DeVries liked Enright not for his statistical contributions, but for the way he impacts games with his energy and enthusiasm.

Enright will annoy opposing fan bases while endearing himself to IU fans.

“I think Connor embraces that. I think he’s just one of those guys that plays like every possession’s the last possession of the game,” DeVries told Inside the Hall. “He plays incredibly hard. He loves to compete. He’s fast, he’s got a little flare to him. I think fans are going to enjoy the way he approaches the game.”

In a recent interview with Inside the Hall, DeVries recalled one of the first times he watched Enright play in an AAU game.

“He didn’t score a point in the game, and he dominated the game because he had like eight assists, he dove on the floor three times, he took a couple of charges,” DeVries said. “Like I just left thinking, ‘I love this kid.’ And he didn’t score a point. But it’s just kind of contagious to everybody else. I think it’s an infectious way to play and I think fans will enjoy him.”

But before Enright can begin to make an impact with the Hoosiers, returning to 100 percent health is the top priority.

He continues to make progress from offseason shoulder surgery with the goal of being fully cleared in July.

With a player who approaches every possession like it’s the last of the game, Indiana has been intentional with making sure Enright doesn’t suffer any setbacks before he’s cleared.

“We’re being a little, I don’t know if it’s cautious is the right word, but we’re being very intentional to make sure he’s fully healthy,” DeVries said. “Because he doesn’t know any other way. So it’s like, ‘dude, we don’t need you diving on the floor in practice.’ But he’s going to go do it anyway.”

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