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DePaul
Mar 1, 2015 7:21:26 GMT -5
Post by Commissioner on Mar 1, 2015 7:21:26 GMT -5
DePaul has lost 9 of 10 and losing 11 of their final 12 seems pretty likely. Tough to make a case that progress is being made in that situation. Nevertheless, I think progress is being made. They've gotten a couple good wins, won more in the Big East, beaten ranked teams this year, been more competitive. They seem to be bringing in a bit better recruits. Purnell is in his 5th season, which seems an eternity to DePaul fans but really isn't that long given the problems he inherited. I'd probably keep Purnell; don't know that DePaul will.
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DePaul
Mar 2, 2015 17:27:18 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Mar 2, 2015 17:27:18 GMT -5
Agreed that progress has been made, even though it's pretty small progress. Better players are on the roster, they have some good wins, etc. Coach Purnell has had a monumental task in front of him. Local DePaul fans tell me the real problem with the program is the athletic director, but I don't know enough about the situation to make that call.
Apparently former UCLA coach Ben Howland is rumored to be a possible choice if Purnell is let go. As a DePaul fan, I'd be okay with that choice. I know lots of people want to land the hot young assistant or mid major head coach, but that goes badly more often than it goes well.
We'll see.
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DePaul
Mar 12, 2015 9:44:15 GMT -5
Post by Commissioner on Mar 12, 2015 9:44:15 GMT -5
I think losing to Creighton in the first round of the Big East tournament last night may have sealed Coach Purnell's fate, if it wasn't sealed already.
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DePaul
Mar 12, 2015 16:27:42 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Mar 12, 2015 16:27:42 GMT -5
I think losing to Creighton in the first round of the Big East tournament last night may have sealed Coach Purnell's fate, if it wasn't sealed already. Yeah, that probably did it if it wasn't done already. Really a disappointing season for the Blue Demons. They had better talent, and had some stretches of playing very good basketball, but this finish was inexcusable. I think Oliver Purnell's career should be defined by the good work he did at Dayton, Old Dominion, Radford, and Clemson (especially at Clemson) but he just couldn't get over the hump at DePaul. The challenges at DePaul are still tough, but he has the program in a better place than when he got there. If he's gone, which appears likely, I wouldn't mind seeing the Demons go after Ben Howland, who had good success at UCLA. However, Howland might be in line for the Seton Hall job, which will likely be open soon. In a move that may or may not last, DePaul picked up a very good player for the class of 2015, three star small forward Elijah Cain. Solid guy, and we'll see if he sticks with Depaul if a coaching change is made.
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DePaul
Mar 14, 2015 15:00:02 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Mar 14, 2015 15:00:02 GMT -5
DePaul has announced that coach Oliver Purnell has resigned. This year, at 12-20, 6-12, was his best season at DePaul. Obviously, he couldn't get it going.
Now the pressure is on the administration to not make a bad hire. I can't imagine the program going through another four or five year period of losing.
Go Blue Demons!
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DePaul
Mar 16, 2015 14:22:55 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Mar 16, 2015 14:22:55 GMT -5
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DePaul
Mar 16, 2015 18:33:04 GMT -5
Post by Commissioner on Mar 16, 2015 18:33:04 GMT -5
Yeah, good lessons, applicable to UDM, too, of course. People get too hung up on the "wake up the echos" thing. I think it may be harder to win at your alma mater. The coach gets trapped more by his own images of what was, or what he imagined years before. The fans and alums expect too much. Did Coach K play at Duke? Did Bobby Knight play at Indiana? Did Dean Smith play at North Carolina? Adolph Rupp at Kentucky? Jim Calhoun at UConn? (Hint: Answer rhymes with "So"). Those are the 5 winningest coaches in NCAA D-I history. Dick Vitale, Smokey Gaines, and Perry Watson weren't UDM alums. Likewise with local recruits. I think we like to see local Detroit kids stay and play at UDM. But the reality is that unless you can lock up the city, the talent isn't there. And right now, the Titans can't lock up the city. The top players will be picked over by Michigan and MSU, not to mention out-of-state powers. And even if they didn't? Again, the talent isn't there. Detroit is barely half the size it was when Dick Vitale and Smokey Gaines built a national power by plucking the Detroit streets clean. Gone are the days when Detroit was producing 3 McDonald's All-Americans a year and a half doze top 100 players. I'm glad that we've signed Bass and Foster-Smith. I'm glad we got McFolley and Blackshear. But I wish we would bet more of the out-of-state recruits we go after.
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DePaul
Mar 24, 2015 21:19:28 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Mar 24, 2015 21:19:28 GMT -5
Bobby Hurley of Buffalo is said to be the front runner for the DePaul job. I'm not feeling that; I wanted a known commodity with proven high major success. I wanted Ben Howland. If it's Hurley, I hope he can pull it off, but I have my doubts. Jeff Goodman @goodmanespn 2m2 minutes ago Bobby Hurley is DePaul front-runner, sources told ESPN. Story: m.espn.go.com/ncb/story?storyId=12553903 …
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DePaul
Mar 29, 2015 23:27:17 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Mar 29, 2015 23:27:17 GMT -5
DePaul reportedly interviewed Bobby Hurley and UTEP's Tim Floyd recently, but the school surprised a lot of people by hiring former DePaul coach Dave Leitao, who took DePaul to two NITs and one NCAA tournament in his three year/58 win tenure as head coach. I liked him. I think he'll have an immediate positive impact. My hope was that DePaul would hire Ben Howland for the head coaching job, but DL has a good resume and reputation. He's a defensive specialist, and should improve that area, which has been a weakness for the Blue Demons. Dave will need to move quickly to assemble his staff (assistant Billy Garrett Sr., father of DePaul point guard Billy, Jr., will be retained) and acting quickly to keep the recruits he wants out of DePaul's signed 2015 commits. Even if he keeps the three recruits they have signed, they will have at least one more spot to fill for this class. It was an unexpected hire, but I am cautiously optimistic. Most of the online commentary from fans has not been positive, however. I think a lot of fans wanted DePaul to make a "splash" by hiring Bobby Hurley, and to a lesser extent, Bryce Drew. www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/chi-dave-leitao-depaul-20150329-story.htmlzagsblog.com/articles/report-dave-leitao-to-return-to-depaul/
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DePaul
Mar 30, 2015 20:30:59 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Mar 30, 2015 20:30:59 GMT -5
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DePaul
Apr 8, 2015 12:59:36 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Apr 8, 2015 12:59:36 GMT -5
It is being reported that DePaul has hired Michigan native and Xavier assistant Rick Carter to be an assistant coach. Carter worked with DePaul head coach Dave L. at Missouri.
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DePaul
Apr 10, 2015 11:49:51 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Apr 10, 2015 11:49:51 GMT -5
DePaul officially announces the retention of assistant coach Billy Garrett Sr. and the hiring of Xavier assistant Rick Carter to the position of associate head coach. Garrett is the father of DePaul's best player, junior to be point guard Billy Garrett, Jr. It was expected he might remain on the staff. Carter is a young coach with a good resume and experience working under Tom Izzo, Ed Cooley, and others. He and DePaul head coach Dave Leitao worked together on the staff at Missouri. www.depaulbluedemons.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/041015aaa.html
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DePaul
Apr 20, 2015 21:48:11 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Apr 20, 2015 21:48:11 GMT -5
2015 guard Elijah Cain made if official when he signed his NLI with DePaul this week. Cain was recruited by former Coach Oliver Purnell and committed before Purnell was fired. He met with new Coach Leitao and both decided to stick with each other.
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DePaul
Apr 22, 2015 12:22:17 GMT -5
Post by motorcitysam on Apr 22, 2015 12:22:17 GMT -5
DePaul is trying to generate buzz and excitement with a series of short videos providing updates and information about the team during the off season. I think it's a good idea. Here is the first:
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Post by Commissioner on Apr 22, 2015 13:40:28 GMT -5
BTW, DePaul recently offered Michigan 2016 guard Devon Daniels, a very good player who has been on Detroit's radar.
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