Mid-Major Madness Player of the Week (Nov. 20-26): Tucker DeVries

For the week of Nov. 20-26, Mid-Major Madness has selected Drake guard/forward Tucker DeVries as the Mid-Major Player of the Week with the sophomore contributing several standout performances to lead the Bulldogs to three consecutive wins.

A former All-Missouri Valley Conference selection and the 2021-22 MVC Rookie of the Year, DeVries rolled right into the 2022-23 season leading Drake to an undefeated start while averaging career-highs with 21.7 PPG and 6 RPG.

After opening the season 3-0 at the Knapp Center, DeVries took center stage on the Bulldogs’ recent trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam.

With Tucker’s father and Drake head coach Darian DeVries leading the charge into St. Thomas, the Bulldogs started the tournament off with a Nov. 18 win over Buffalo to claim a semifinal matchup against Wyoming.

It’s here where DeVries really began to shine, scoring a career-high 29 points and adding four rebounds and an assist to push the Bulldogs over the Cowboys 61-56 and tip off his Player of the Week campaign.

DeVries followed it up by leading Drake to a 71- 64 Paradise Jam Championship victory over Tarleton State. He went perfect from the field on 5-of-5 field goal shooting an 8-for-8 from the charity stripe to go along with his 22 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.

Leaving the U.S. Virgin Islands with the Bulldogs’ first preseason silverware since 2018, DeVries finished the week back in Des Moines with a 76-64, Saturday night win over Louisiana where he notched 21 points, four rebounds, and four assists.

As the undefeated Bulldogs gear up to begin conference play with a matchup scheduled at Indiana State for this Wednesday, DeVries and co. will look to continue rolling and avenge a tough loss from the 2022 MVC Tournament Championship.

Honorable Mentions:

Marques Warrick (Northern Kentucky) - The 2020-21 Horizon League Rookie of the Year is off to a great start this season most recently wracking up an outrageous 45 points, four rebounds, and four assist game in a double-overtime win versus Tennessee Tech.

Foster Loyer (Davidson) - Opening the week with a double-double against Old Dominion on 22 points and 10 rebounds, Loyer later closed the week with a 30-point performance to earn a win over San Francisco and push the Wildcats to 6-1.