Darian DeVries walked around the scorer’s table to where the Drake Bulldogs fans were celebrating in the Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Sunday and silently gestured for his younger brother to come down to the first row. Jared DeVries leaned over the railing and laid his head on Darian’s shoulder, wrapping huge arms around the coach of the Bulldogs. Jared, a former NFL defensive lineman, sobbed out loud, audible above the tumult in the arena, his body heaving.
Darian is a stoic, but he teared up as well. Jamie DeVries, Jared’s wife, was crying. Moments earlier, Drake’s star player and Darian’s son, Tucker DeVries, had broken into tears.
The emotions were hitting hard for the DeVries family, a collision of joy and sadness. Winning the Missouri Valley Conference tournament in thrilling fashion over the Indiana State Sycamores and clinching an NCAA bid was a moment to rejoice, but also a moment to remember who wasn’t there for the first time.
