DePaul Coaching Situation...

[BigMac]

A former DePaul coach told me the only way they'll resurrect the program is to pay market rates for Chicago recruits. His feeling is that Purnell has done very well considering all the local talent gets hired away.

I am digging "friarsully", been a member for almost 2 years and his first post is implying DePaul needs to pay kids under the table.

[billyjack]

Final score was Ohio U 99, DePaul 78.

I don't even need to watch the game to figure out what happened.

Looking at the boxscore:
DePaul shot 25 threes, hit 8, so 30%.
Darrick Wood decided to shoot 14 FG's today, including 1 for 6 from deep.
6-10 Forrest Robinson was 1-for-3 from deep, meaning he's hit 3 of his last 15 three-pointers. Why is this guy jacking threes? He's 6 foot 10...!

Ohio U shot 59% from the field, including 41% from three.
Ohio's Javarez Willis was 7 for 14 from three, and finished with 31 points.
Ohio shot 28-for-40 from two-point land, or 70%. Seventy percent.

2 different Bobcats had double-digit rebounds, and another had 9.
Only 1 Blue Demon had more than 4 total rebounds (Robinson with 6).
No DePaul player had more than 2 defensive rebounds. How does that happen?

So, Purnell should step down.
Completely re-tool the basketball operation.
Forget about bribing Chicago HS coaches. Get a young coach who knows what he's doing, play fundamental basketball, win some games... then the Chicago kids will be knocking down the door.

Next year get Bobby Hurley, Pat Skerry or Brian Wardle, at a minimum.
Maybe Ben Howland.
Teach defense, cut half the team.

In March 2011, Providence was in worse shape than DePaul is currently... the head coach was clueless, at least 1 assistant coach was actively trying to lose thinking he'd get promoted, rumors of paying HS coaches, corruption... we were losing by 30 routinely on the road, kids were failing in class, getting in trouble with the law, the place was a disaster area.

Cooley came in and cleaned house, cut the cancer out of the program. Laid down the law. Ed said that in his first practice, the team didn't know how to do a proper lay-up drill. Brick by brick.

DePaul is in an excellent situation to rebound quickly. But their program right now is completely off the rails.

[DemonLS]

Yes, my Team and program are completely awful. DePaul needs to "start over". Sorry other Big East members that we are not holding up our share of the conference. Someday it will change.....just not sure when yet!

[billyjack]

This is to give JLP a head start:

Towson:
2010 Pat Kennedy 10-21.
2011 Pat Kennedy 4-26.
2012 Pat Skerry 1-31.
2013 Pat Skerry 18-13.
2014 Pat Skerry 25-11.
2015 Pat Skerry 7-5.

Buffalo:
2012 Reggie Witherspoon 20-11.
2013 Reggie Witherspoon 14-20.
2014 Bobby Hurley 19-10.
2015 Bobby Hurley 7-2.

Green Bay:
2009 Tod Kowalcyzk 22-11.
2010 Tod Kowalcyzk 22-13. (left for Toledo).
2011 Brian Wardle 14-18.
2012 Brian Wardle 15-15.
2013 Brian Wardle 18-16.
2014 Brian Wardle 24-7.
2015 Brian Wardle 9-3.

Toledo:
2009 Gene Cross 7-25.
2010 Gene Cross 4-28.
2011 Tod Kowalcyzk 4-28.
2012 Tod Kowalcyzk 19-17.
2013 Tod Kowalcyzk 15-13.
2014 Tod Kowalcyzk 27-7.
2015 Tod Kowalcyzk 7-4.

[billyjack]

Yes, my Team and program are completely awful. DePaul needs to "start over". Sorry other Big East members that we are not holding up our share of the conference. Someday it will change.....just not sure when yet!

Sorry, I don't mean to sound like an total a-hole. We're all rooting for you guys.

DePaul will be one of our crown jewels. You guys will own Chicago. There was no cooler team when I was a kid than DePaul. An amazing history. Blue Demon fans should get better than the product that is out there. It's completely unfair to you guys. The team is completely undisciplined. A coaching change definitely has to happen, and any young hungry coach with half a brain in his head will jump at the opportunity.

[muskienick]

A former DePaul coach told me the only way they'll resurrect the program is to pay market rates for Chicago recruits. His feeling is that Purnell has done very well considering all the local talent gets hired away.

That's a strange and ridiculous thing for a former DePaul coach to say considering that the team that is a prohibitive favorite to win it all this year, the Kentucky Wildcats, not only have no player on their roster from the Chicagoland area, they have no one on their roster from the state of Illinois! That kind of a statement is a smokescreen attempt at hiding the myriad of other problems that exist within the DePaul athletic department.

DePaul, meanwhile, has 6 players on its roster from Chicago, two others from North Chicago, IL and Northbrook, IL, and another from Dyer, IN, a short (1/2-hr - 1 hr) drive from Chitown.

Many programs have done pretty well without doling out under-the-table payouts to precocious high school players (Chicago-based or not). And many of them built their programs without enjoying the benefit of being in a Conference like the Big East as DePaul has. Furthermore, DePaul had the benefit of having had very successful teams from the late 50's through the early 90's in the Meyer Era. Why has DePaul failed so miserably as compared to programs like VCU (Colonial & A-10), Butler (Horizon and A-10), Creighton (MVC), Wichita State (MVC), Gonzaga (West Coast Conference), and a number of others? If nothing else, the Blue Demons have been quite consistent for the last couple of decades although futility isn't exactly the kind of consistency that most would like!

DePaul is simply the Big East's version of the A-10's Fordham Rams. It is truly sad.

[BillikensWin]

A former DePaul coach told me the only way they'll resurrect the program is to pay market rates for Chicago recruits. His feeling is that Purnell has done very well considering all the local talent gets hired away.

That's a strange and ridiculous thing for a former DePaul coach to say considering that the team that is a prohibitive favorite to win it all this year, the Kentucky Wildcats, not only have no player on their roster from the Chicagoland area, they have no one on their roster from the state of Illinois! That kind of a statement is a smokescreen attempt at hiding the myriad of other problems that exist within the DePaul athletic department.

DePaul, meanwhile, has 6 players on its roster from Chicago, two others from North Chicago, IL and Northbrook, IL, and another from Dyer, IN, a short (1/2-hr - 1 hr) drive from Chitown.

Many programs have done pretty well without doling out under-the-table payouts to precocious high school players (Chicago-based or not). And many of them built their programs without enjoying the benefit of being in a Conference like the Big East as DePaul has. Furthermore, DePaul had the benefit of having had very successful teams from the late 50's through the early 90's in the Meyer Era. Why has DePaul failed so miserably as compared to programs like VCU (Colonial & A-10), Butler (Horizon and A-10), Creighton (MVC), Wichita State (MVC), Gonzaga (West Coast Conference), and a number of others? If nothing else, the Blue Demons have been quite consistent for the last couple of decades although futility isn't exactly the kind of consistency that most would like!

DePaul is simply the Big East's version of the A-10's Fordham Rams. It is truly sad.

Tyler Ulis went to Marian Catholic HS in Illinois (Kentucky reference).

DePaul can be good again. It's just a matter of finding the right guy for the job (PS--that guy's name is never Jim Crews. Ever).

[friarsully]

A former DePaul coach told me the only way they'll resurrect the program is to pay market rates for Chicago recruits. His feeling is that Purnell has done very well considering all the local talent gets hired away.

I am digging "friarsully", been a member for almost 2 years and his first post is implying DePaul needs to pay kids under the table.

I am not implying anything - I'm flat out saying it, based on a conversation I had with a former DePaul coach. Maybe he's full of it, seeing as he had his own troubles there. Either way I figured it would be a great first post - I've been lurking for a while and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to take a shot at Depaul and get DudeAnon all in a tizzy.

[friarsully]

A former DePaul coach told me the only way they'll resurrect the program is to pay market rates for Chicago recruits. His feeling is that Purnell has done very well considering all the local talent gets hired away.

That's a strange and ridiculous thing for a former DePaul coach to say considering that the team that is a prohibitive favorite to win it all this year, the Kentucky Wildcats, not only have no player on their roster from the Chicagoland area, they have no one on their roster from the state of Illinois! That kind of a statement is a smokescreen attempt at hiding the myriad of other problems that exist within the DePaul athletic department.

DePaul, meanwhile, has 6 players on its roster from Chicago, two others from North Chicago, IL and Northbrook, IL, and another from Dyer, IN, a short (1/2-hr - 1 hr) drive from Chitown.

Many programs have done pretty well without doling out under-the-table payouts to precocious high school players (Chicago-based or not). And many of them built their programs without enjoying the benefit of being in a Conference like the Big East as DePaul has. Furthermore, DePaul had the benefit of having had very successful teams from the late 50's through the early 90's in the Meyer Era. Why has DePaul failed so miserably as compared to programs like VCU (Colonial & A-10), Butler (Horizon and A-10), Creighton (MVC), Wichita State (MVC), Gonzaga (West Coast Conference), and a number of others? If nothing else, the Blue Demons have been quite consistent for the last couple of decades although futility isn't exactly the kind of consistency that most would like!

DePaul is simply the Big East's version of the A-10's Fordham Rams. It is truly sad.

All good points, Muskie & I won't really argue them other than to say that my post wasn't to argue the virtues of Chicago recruits versus any other. It was this particular person's opinion (based on having coached there) that they could not land the best local talent - not just any talent from Chicago, as you've stated. It was further his opinion that they'd have to pay to get it - certainly debatable and not in the least denigrating to Depaul - they haven't caved and thus have shown that education is primary to it's mission. That being said, I'd love DePaul to become competitive again. To me, they are like an Original 6 in hockey and should be back where they belong.

The Gonzaga model is one that has merit, however

[Boyee]

I am a DePaul University alumnus who strongly feels that DePaul Men's Basketball cannot succeed unless they get a new athletic director other than Jean Lenti Ponsetto and a head coach that is extremely familiar with and can strongly recruit from Chicago and Chicagoland high schools. Until this happens, DePaul's historically great men's basketball program will continue to be stuck at the bottom of the Big East Conference year in and year out.