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DePaul
Sept 4, 2014 11:13:31 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Sept 4, 2014 11:13:31 GMT -5
DePaul's 2014 class took a blow as forward Raymond Doby had academic issues and was not qualified. He plans to do a year of prep school and reclassify to 2015. This will actually be his second prep school. He transferred to a prep school for his senior year in high school, in part because of the "academics" of the prep school. Talk about a backfire.
Doby didn't play as well as expected once he transferred for his senior year, so it remains to be seen if he will still garner some high major interest for the class of 2015.
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DePaul
Sept 8, 2014 11:42:54 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Sept 8, 2014 11:42:54 GMT -5
DePaul is picked to finish last in the Big East by both the Sporting News and Lindy's Sports. That is not a surprise. I expect all predictions for the Blue Demons to come in at the bottom of the Big East.
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DePaul
Sept 10, 2014 16:58:29 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Sept 10, 2014 16:58:29 GMT -5
DePaul has had suspensions and a couple of expulsions over the last two seasons as Coach Purnell tries to get that team together. Today, it was announced they kicked another player off the team.
From the Twittersphere:
Jeff Borzello @jeffborzello 33s DePaul just announced that senior guard Charles McKinney has been dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules.
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DePaul
Sept 15, 2014 0:00:26 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Sept 15, 2014 0:00:26 GMT -5
DePaul got some good news over the weekend when three star power forward DeVelle Phillips gave a verbal commitment for the class of 2015. Phillips had offers from Cincy, Rutgers, and Kansas State, among other. Looks like a good pick up for the Blue Demons. The article talks about the commitment and also has a scholarship grid for DePaul. hoopniks.com/depaul-gets-on-the-board-in-15-with-develle-phillips/
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DePaul
Sept 16, 2014 15:55:34 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Sept 16, 2014 15:55:34 GMT -5
This is potentially good news for DePaul: Tommy Hamilton Jr. is a sophomore at DePaul who has all Big East potential. He was an all Freshman pick last year after averaging eight points and five rebounds per game. His potential is high, but he needs work on his game and better conditioning. Looks like he started work on the conditioning.
You might remember Tommy's Dad, Thomas Hamilton Sr., who was a Chicago high school basketball star. Senior never played college basketball but played 33 games in the NBA.
From the twittersphere:
Jon Rothstein @jonrothstein 42m DePaul sophomore Tommy Hamilton is down to 255 pounds, per Blue Demons SID Greg Greenwell. Played between 280-290 last season.
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DePaul
Sept 17, 2014 13:55:48 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Sept 17, 2014 13:55:48 GMT -5
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DePaul
Sept 30, 2014 16:48:33 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Sept 30, 2014 16:48:33 GMT -5
It's not often that October is a very important month for a college basketball program, but as we know, DePaul is in a precarious position. They desperately need to start winning more games, and a big part of that is increasing the talent level. They brought in some good players for 2014, but 2015 is just as crucial.
So far in 2015, the Demons have pleasantly surprised fans by gaining commitments from two forwards from the DC area, which is an area where Coach Purnell has connections. Those players are Develle Phillips and Oumar Perry, who are AAU teammates. Both are rated as three star recruits. In October, the Blue Demons could be getting good news on some other recruits they have targeted.
1. Charles Thomas IV is a 6-7 forward from River Hill high school in Maryland. He played on the same AAU team as Phillps and Berry. Thomas has not shown up on the rankings for Scout, Rivals, or ESPN, but has received multiple offers and has a final list of DePaul, Wisconsin, and Rutgers. He plans to decide in a couple of weeks, per his coach.
2. Obinna Oleka is a 6-8 forward who is also a product of the DC AAU scene. Most recently he played at State College of Florida, a JUCO. He had previously committed to Texas, but was released from his NLI and is now sitting out a Cecil College and will be eligible in the class of 2015. Oleka is visiting DePaul this coming weekend, per reports.
3. Isaiah Moss is a 6-6 shooting guard small forward from Simeon High School in Chicago. He's a three star recruit who really had a good spring/summer AAU season. Per his coach, Moss is scheduled to visit DePaul this coming weekend.
I believe DePaul would love to get two of these guys, but many would consider Moss the prize of the bunch. Coach Purnell is starting to thaw the "freeze out" he got from the Chicago area high school coaches when he arrived at DePaul, and getting a city kid like Moss would be a great sign of progress on that front. In the class of 2013 Depaul got Chicago kids Billy Garrett Jr, whose Dad is a DePaul assistant coach, and Thomas Hamilton IV, who had dropped in the rankings during the latter part of his high school years due to injuries and effort questions. Moss would be the first "on the rise" Chicago high school kid that Purnell got without there being a family connection.
The DC AAU connections give hope that either Okeka or Thomas could choose DePaul. Moss is a late bloomer who has not been inundated with high major offers. The Demons have been working hard on him. If we get one of these players, I'd be happy. If we get two, that's an excellent class, especially for a coach firmly on the hot seat. Go Demons!
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DePaul
Oct 3, 2014 9:33:46 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Oct 3, 2014 9:33:46 GMT -5
Big East Coast Bias put out this podcast on the DePaul program. I'm linking it here just for information's sake, but it's actually not very informative, and in some cases it's just factually wrong. The person speaking as the DePaul "expert" gets facts wrong regarding current events and the program's history. With that less than stellar review, here it is. Listen at your own risk. www.bigeastcoastbias.com/2014/10/2/6896701/big-east-coast-bias-podcast-1-the-outlook-on-depaul
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DePaul
Oct 5, 2014 0:01:57 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Oct 5, 2014 0:01:57 GMT -5
Following up on the earlier post about October being potentially a big month for DePaul:
2015 shooting guard/small forward Isaiah Moss is at DePaul for his official visit. One of the benefits of being in Chicago is that DePaul can lodge their visitors in some pretty swanky surroundings. Moss tweeted a pic from his room at the Trump Hotel in Chicago. JUCO forward Obinna Oleka was reportedly on campus for a visit, also, but social media and the message boards are quiet about it.
Hard to make a prediction, but DePaul seems to have made Moss a priority. Coach Purnell would love to get his commitment before he leaves campus, but will likely continue to pursue him aggressively if he wants to wait to make up his mind.
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DePaul
Oct 6, 2014 13:03:10 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Oct 6, 2014 13:03:10 GMT -5
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DePaul
Oct 10, 2014 14:00:15 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Oct 10, 2014 14:00:15 GMT -5
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports attended DePaul's practice today and tweeted out the following observations: twitter.com/JonRothsteinEarly prediction on DePaul starting five --- Billy Garrett Jr., Aaron Simpson, Myke Henry, Rashaun Stimage, Tommy Hamilton.... Illinois transfer Myke Henry will help DePaul with his versatility. Should play both forward spots. Skilled. Can extend defenses. The most impressive newcomer here at DePaul practice? 5-11 combo guard Aaron Simpson. Can REALLY score. Could start for Blue Demons at SG. Oliver Purnell told @cbssports that DePaul's Tommy Hamilton is down to 255 pounds. Was 285 last season. Breakout year ahead. 10 + 8 guy.
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DePaul
Oct 15, 2014 10:04:19 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Oct 15, 2014 10:04:19 GMT -5
It's not often that October is a very important month for a college basketball program, but as we know, DePaul is in a precarious position. They desperately need to start winning more games, and a big part of that is increasing the talent level. They brought in some good players for 2014, but 2015 is just as crucial. So far in 2015, the Demons have pleasantly surprised fans by gaining commitments from two forwards from the DC area, which is an area where Coach Purnell has connections. Those players are Develle Phillips and Oumar Perry, who are AAU teammates. Both are rated as three star recruits. In October, the Blue Demons could be getting good news on some other recruits they have targeted. 1. Charles Thomas IV is a 6-7 forward from River Hill high school in Maryland. He played on the same AAU team as Phillps and Berry. Thomas has not shown up on the rankings for Scout, Rivals, or ESPN, but has received multiple offers and has a final list of DePaul, Wisconsin, and Rutgers. He plans to decide in a couple of weeks, per his coach. 2. Obinna Oleka is a 6-8 forward who is also a product of the DC AAU scene. Most recently he played at State College of Florida, a JUCO. He had previously committed to Texas, but was released from his NLI and is now sitting out a Cecil College and will be eligible in the class of 2015. Oleka is visiting DePaul this coming weekend, per reports. 3. Isaiah Moss is a 6-6 shooting guard small forward from Simeon High School in Chicago. He's a three star recruit who really had a good spring/summer AAU season. Per his coach, Moss is scheduled to visit DePaul this coming weekend. I believe DePaul would love to get two of these guys, but many would consider Moss the prize of the bunch. Coach Purnell is starting to thaw the "freeze out" he got from the Chicago area high school coaches when he arrived at DePaul, and getting a city kid like Moss would be a great sign of progress on that front. In the class of 2013 Depaul got Chicago kids Billy Garrett Jr, whose Dad is a DePaul assistant coach, and Thomas Hamilton IV, who had dropped in the rankings during the latter part of his high school years due to injuries and effort questions. Moss would be the first "on the rise" Chicago high school kid that Purnell got without there being a family connection. The DC AAU connections give hope that either Okeka or Thomas could choose DePaul. Moss is a late bloomer who has not been inundated with high major offers. The Demons have been working hard on him. If we get one of these players, I'd be happy. If we get two, that's an excellent class, especially for a coach firmly on the hot seat. Go Demons! Quick update on the Blue Demon October targets. 1. Charlie Thomas IV visited DePaul this past weekend, but committed to Wisconsin yesterday. Makes perfect sense, pretty much every way you look at it. I was surprised that DePaul was still in the running. 2. Obinna Oleka: Reportedly enjoyed his visit to DePaul, but has not yet made an decision. I have heard that there are some academic issues that need to be resolved. He remains a DePaul target; the Demons are losing two senior front court players after this year, and would like to add JUCO Oleka to join their two high school recruits for 2015 to shore up the front line. 3. Isaiah Moss: Had a good visit to DePaul from all accounts. Taking his time to make a decision, and now getting some heavy interest from Pittsburgh. Also, an addition: This coming weekend, 2015 shooting guard/small forward Marquez Letcher-Ellis is scheduled to visit DePaul. Ellis is a Houston, Texas native, who attends high school in Virginia and plays with the DC Premier AAU team. DePaul's first two commits for 2015 are also from DC Premier. Ellis is a three star player per ESPN, Rivals and Scout.
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DePaul
Oct 17, 2014 18:17:19 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Oct 17, 2014 18:17:19 GMT -5
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DePaul
Oct 17, 2014 18:43:38 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Oct 17, 2014 18:43:38 GMT -5
DePaul kicks off their season with their Blue Madness event tonight. It's really geared towards re-engaging the students, with free food, autograph sessions, giveaways, and a concert from a musical artist named Twista, who is out of my demographic but apparently popular with the kids. The event takes place at DePaul's on campus facility, McGrath-Phillips Arena.
The Demons have several coveted recruits on campus for this event, including Isaiah Moss, who is probably their top target in 2015.
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DePaul
Oct 22, 2014 10:14:50 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Oct 22, 2014 10:14:50 GMT -5
Sophomore point guard Billy Garrett Jr. was named second team Preseason All Big East at the conference media day this morning.
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