Hear from Drake basketball’s Tucker DeVries on Selection Sunday
Drake basketball’s Tucker DeVries looks ahead to March Madness in Omaha and breaks down the emotions that come with playing back where he grew up.
Conor Enright thrives under pressure.
With about two minutes remaining in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game – and with Drake and Indiana State tied – Enright grabbed a pass from Tucker DeVries and let off a 3-point shot.
He’d gone against the advice of Drake head coach Darian DeVries, who Enright realized later was nudging him to exchange with Kevin Overton in the corner.
But in that self-described déjà vu moment – off a pass that Tucker DeVries dished to Enright “a million times” – the redshirt sophomore took his shot. It sank through the net and gave Drake a lead Enright and his teammates never let up.
“Just caught it and didn’t think about it, knocked it down,” Enright said.
More: A look at Darian DeVries’ success during his tenure with Drake men’s basketball
Tucker DeVries’ trust never wavered when he sent that pass to his teammate.
“He shot it with a ton of confidence,” Tucker DeVries said. “It was a shot we really needed, and he’s able to knock it down. That’s probably my favorite on-court memory with him.”
Even during Enright’s recruitment, it was always Drake
Enright didn’t need to score to make an impact.
Darian DeVries remembers one of the times he saw Enright play in high school, and it wasn’t his statistics that stood out.
“I recall watching him in one game, he didn’t score a single point,” Darian DeVries said. “And I left that game thinking, he completely dominated the game, with literally zero points. He dove on the floor, he took charges, he made the right plays. I just loved his competitiveness.”
Darian’s son, Tucker, got an early impression of Enright before he even joined the Bulldogs. The younger DeVries recalled his first thoughts about his future roommate: A kid with long, shaggy hair who didn’t fit the mold of a typical Division I basketball player.
More: Drake basketball’s March Madness opponent is Washington St. to open 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket
But along the way, Enright made an impact on Darian DeVries, and it paid off with an offer from the Bulldogs.
Other offers – from Cleveland State, IUPUI and Southern Illinois – followed.
None compared to his first, though.
Enright remembered what it was like to be a 15-year-old, 6-foot, 140-pound kid when the Bulldogs offered – and when no other team was ready to take a chance on him. That left a lasting impact.
But it was a piece of advice from his AAU basketball coach that convinced Enright to commit to Drake.
“My coach, Mike Mullins, told me that every school I was going to visit was going to have things I liked,” Enright said. “But I should look for things I didn’t like about that school.
“I thought about what he said, and I honestly couldn’t find something I didn’t like about Drake. That sealed the deal for me.”
Baby steps with the Bulldogs
It was an uphill climb for Enright to earn a spot in the starting five.
He joined the Bulldogs as one of two freshmen – alongside Tucker DeVries – in the 2021-22 season. With limited spots in the lineup, Enright opted to redshirt during his first year of college.
Last season, he played in all 35 of Drake’s games, but he only started four matchups. He averaged 4.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in about 19 minutes of playing time.
More: Here is what Drake basketball coach Darian DeVries said after Selection Sunday
“The biggest question mark coming into the season was, last year, he got to come in for 10 minutes and fly around and play as hard as he can,” Darian DeVries said. “This year, it was, can he manage a team for 25 minutes a night?”
This year – with Enright capable of slotting in as point guard or shooting guard – he started all 32 of the games he appeared in, raising his averages to 7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
Enright didn’t miss a beat, taking on a larger role from last season to this season.
Game-by-game, Enright grew into the player who made one of the biggest shots of the season, lifting Drake to an MVC Tournament title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
He’s become an easy favorite among Drake fans – for both his play and his personality. But those same things turned Enright into a pariah among fans of the Bulldogs’ opponents.
The man, the myth, the mullet
Enright is still that atypical athlete Tucker remembers.
But being a bit different – from his fast-paced, aggressive play on the court to his choice of hairstyle – is part of his appeal.
The idea behind his trademark mullet came about long before Enright joined Drake. He saw Matthew Mayer, a former Baylor and Illinois standout, rocking a mullet on the national stage. During Enright’s redshirt year, he thought it would be funny to try, and that the look might get him some airtime.
Before college, Enright never thought he would rock a mullet. He’d gone with everything from a buzzcut to hair longer than his mother’s during his time in high school.
But it helped him stand out from the crowd, especially when Drake went to the NCAA Tournament last season.
“Honestly, I don’t know why I did it,” Enright said. “But I’m sticking with it, for sure.”
And it’s turned into a visual representation of the scrappy and sometimes messy way Enright approaches the game.
Enright thrives as the most hated player on Drake’s roster
There is no denying that Bulldogs basketball fans and players alike love Enright.
Tucker and Enright have been roommates for all three years of college. Darian is thrilled Enright is on his roster and not an opponent’s.
“He’s kind of like a gnat that you keep trying to swat away and he won’t go away,” Darian DeVries said. “He just plays so hard, and he does it the whole game. When he’s on your team, you love him and when he’s on the other team, he’s probably a little bit maddening.”
Enright’s almost annoying – for opponents – approach to basketball dates back to his high school days.
As a freshman on the varsity roster, he felt like he had to be tougher and play harder to prove he deserved to be there. That motivation translated to college. He likes the energy that comes with road games and he feeds off opposing crowds.
One search for Enright’s name on social media brings up a handful of posts from opposing fans who dislike his style of play. Posts calling him a ‘flopper,’ critiquing his ‘antics,’ lamenting their ‘disdain’ for the Bulldogs’ guard. Washington State fans will get a taste of Enright’s style on Thursday as the Cougars take on Drake in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament (9:05 p.m., truTV).
Enright doesn’t mind and – fitting with his personality – he actually gets a good laugh from the comments.
“I enjoy it,” Enright said. “It’s all part of the game, though, and I think it’s good for basketball to have someone maybe you hate a little bit. I’m fine being that guy.”
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at [email protected] or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
Sarah Wilson is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
