With the DePaul basketball program continuing to be the laughing stock of the Big East, the Blue Demons have gone back to the past in hopes of turning things around. The school hired Dave Leitao as head coach this off-season, ten years after he left the exact same position for seemingly greener pastures. Leitao led DePaul to an NCAA Tournament and two NIT appearances in the mid-2000’s but has his work cut out for him to get the Blue Demons back to that level.
DEPAUL BLUE DEMONS
Last Season: 8th, 6-12 in Big East, 12-20 overall
Predicted Big East Finish: 9th
Projected Depth Chart
C: Tommy Hamilton (Jr)/Peter Ryckbosch (Jr)/Oumar Barry (Fr)
PF: Rashaun Stimage (Sr)/Develle Phillips (Fr)/Frederick Scott (Fr)
SF: Myke Henry (Sr)/R.J. Curington (Jr)
SG: Eli Cain (Fr)/Darrick Wood (Jr)/Erten Gazi (Fr)
PG: Billy Garrett Jr. (Jr)/Aaron Simpson (Sr)/
Gone: PF-Forest Robinson, SF-Jamee Crockett, PF-Greg Sequele, SG-Durrell McDonald (transfer-Mercyhurst)
Strengths:
This is about as loose as you could ever use the phrase, “The Big 3” but the Blue Demons must rely heavily on their Big 3 of Billy Garrett Jr., Myke Henry, and Tommy Hamilton. That trio combined to average nearly half of DePaul’s offensive output last season and brings experience to a roster that is lacking a ton of talent.
Question Marks:
With Forest Robinson graduating, one of the biggest holes for DePaul to fill is at power forward. Rashaun Stimage should see an increased role as he appears likely to move into the starting lineup alongside Hamilton but he is known more for his shot blocking than anything else. Peter Ryckbosch missed all of last season with a torn ACL and will compete with three freshmen for playing time off the bench up-front. As a result, expect DePaul to play small ball quite a bit by sliding Henry to the four and going with more of a three-guard look.
Player to Watch:
Garrett Jr. didn’t take the next step with his game during his sophomore campaign but has the talent to be an All-Big East caliber player. If DePaul is going to even threaten to be a middle of pack conference club, Garrett Jr. has to be more aggressive on the offensive end to take them there.
X-Factor:
With Jamee Crockett graduating, DePaul has a huge hole to fill on the wing. Former JUCO transfers Darrick Wood and Aaron Simpson, and R.J. Currington were all average role players a year ago off the bench and bring experience to the floor. However, the player most likely to emerge is Eli Cain. Cain is a talented freshman who started for the Blue Demons during their overseas trip this summer and at 6-6, has a good combination of size and athleticism.
Looking Ahead to 2016-17:
Time and time again, this program has failed to keep the top hometown talent in Chicago or lure any highly-touted recruits to DePaul. That is unlikely to change until the in-city arena gets built, but in the meantime, Leitao needs to find a way to bring better talent onboard. If Garrett Jr. gets antsy and turns pro after this season, ‘16-’17 could be rough for the DePaul basketball program.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/17 at Penn State
11/21 vs. South Carolina (Paradise Jam)
11/22 vs. Florida State/Hofstra (Paradise Jam)
11/23 vs. Tulsa/Ohio/Indiana State/Norfolk State (Paradise Jam)
12/15 at Stanford
12/19 vs. Northwestern
12/22 vs. George Washington
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.