Depaul basketball

[ChitownSteve]

Illinois Chcago is playing @ Depaul on Fox tonight. Looks like a high school gym hosting 2 middle school teams. Looks like there are 20 people in the stands.

The game was played at the on-campus gym, McGrath-Phillips Arena,where the Lady Blue Demons play. Scheduling and some other nonsense have a few of the non-conference games played there, rather than at the Allstate Atena.

No excuses, because I hear plenty of those from the DePaul hierarchy, but bitter cold in Chicago tonight, students already on break and not including the game in the season package render the game an afterthought and, thus, no crowd. DePaul does not include the few on-campus games in the season ticket package. Shortsighted, because they still would not fill up. Just as happy, we had a holiday dinner to attend downtown and could not make the game anyway.

UIC is awful and as I have stated from day one, Coach Leitao a very questionable hire. Losing to UIC hurts the BE and yet another example of the embarrassing status of the DePaul Program.

This loss is a perfect example of the lack of accountability for the Men's Basketball causing that Program to continue to fail.Losing to UIC ... pathetic ... absolutely pathetic.

[JKC74]

Watched the game on Fox Sports 1. First of all what the hell is this guy doing coaching again at DePaul after failing miserably at UVA and doing just a mediocre job at DePaul on his first go around. It must be a Vincentian thing to tear down what was at one time some very respectable programs (i.e St. John's, Niagara U and DePaul). How about the BE swap DePaul for Dayton.

[muskienick]

Watched the game on Fox Sports 1. First of all what the hell is this guy doing coaching again at DePaul after failing miserably at UVA and doing just a mediocre job at DePaul on his first go around. It must be a Vincentian thing to tear down what was at one time some very respectable programs (i.e St. John's, Niagara U and DePaul). How about the BE swap DePaul for Dayton.

Bite your tongue, JKC74!!!

Nobody but a football-downsized UConn should be considered for expansion by the Big East. And by 'football-downsized' I am not referring to the wonderful job being done by their current head coach, Bob Diaco, in making the Huskies totally irrelevant at the FBS level. I mean that UConn should be considered for Big East expansion only if they downgrade to the FCS level or below.

But forgetting about expansion for a while --- DePaul must be given the opportunity to have 3-5 seasons of play in their new arena on the Lake and the opportunity, once again, to be able to recruit at a near "Ray Meyer-level" (whether its Dave Leitao or his successor). Chicago is too rich of a media market to let it escape from the Big East. Chitown is a rich recruiting market and everything will be in place for the Blue Demons to become relevant again on the Division 1 basketball scene assuming AD Ponsetto and President Fr. Holtschneider finally learn that a great basketball program will energize the University AND the City of Chicago! (As far as the "black thumb" of the Vincentians is concerned, wasn't the Ray Meyer Era of DePaul also under the guiding hand of a Vincentian priest?) XU has had a number of "clunker" Presidents during its history, but put together a run of two-to-four good ones and you're likely to become another Villanova, Creighton, or Xavier!

Furthermore, nobody in power is even going to mention the possibility of the elimination of DePaul from membership in the Big East Conference.

[commish118]

but put together a run of two-to-four good ones and you're likely to become another Villanova, Creighton, or Xavier!

Nick, I think that is a pipe dream. As much as I would love to see the program lifted, they have a long way to go and it is going to take a lot more than a President or two to get them there. It will take a MAJOR commitment from the President, alumni, and backers, and a lot of new backers. Doesn't mean they can't get there, but so far they have only shown they have an interest, not a commitment.

As far as the media and recruiting, I agree, Chicago is extremely important! Then again, that is why the A-10 wanted Fordham: for NY city. Fordham does not have the basketball history of Depaul, but they seemingly play at the same level. I think most people just want Depaul to be respectable and it is inexcusable that they are not. We'll see if the new arena helps, but last night surely does the opposite.

And don't get me started on Dayton. As Nancy Reagan would say "JUST SAY NO!"

[muskienick]

but put together a run of two-to-four good ones and you're likely to become another Villanova, Creighton, or Xavier!

Nick, I think that is a pipe dream. As much as I would love to see the program lifted, they have a long way to go and it is going to take a lot more than a President or two to get them there. It will take a MAJOR commitment from the President, alumni, and backers, and a lot of new backers. Doesn't mean they can't get there, but so far they have only shown they have an interest, not a commitment.

As far as the media and recruiting, I agree, Chicago is extremely important! Then again, that is why the A-10 wanted Fordham: for NY city. Fordham does not have the basketball history of Depaul, but they seemingly play at the same level. I think most people just want Depaul to be respectable and it is inexcusable that they are not. We'll see if the new arena helps, but last night surely does the opposite.

And don't get me started on Dayton. As Nancy Reagan would say "JUST SAY NO!"

Who knows, Commish! If it can happen to an even smaller university in a smallish-town, Cincinnati, why not at Chicago's DePaul, where it actually was a "player" on the top level of Division 1 basketball as "recently" as 1984. I am not saying that it WILL happen. But in a couple of years, all the pieces of the puzzle could be in place to rebound the Blue Demons' program back to (at least) relevance.

[commish118]

I hope so Nick!!!

[mumuskie87]

Watching DePaul against SE Missouri St - team ranked 286 by KenPom.
They are losing 38-33 at the half and looks like there is about 50 people in Allstate Arena - not counting coaches and players.
Per their official website their average home attendance in their 8 home games is a little over 3,500. per game.
I guess when the team has lost 20+ games in 7 of the last 9 seasons and the other 2 seasons they lost 19 games, you get that level of attendance.
Well...as ChiTown Steve says - at least it's easy to get in and out of games.
Hard to believe that Depaul was a gold standard program back in the late 70's into the 80's.
Makes me appreciate what Xavier has accomplished over the past 30+ years in terms of sustained excellence - from Staak to Mack.

[mumuskie87]

Looks like the SE Missouri St coach must have thought this was just a scrimmage as he is dressed in a t-shirt and slacks.
It's a pet peeve of mine but you are a college coach - wear a suit and tie. I mean Leitao sucks as a coach but at least he is nattily dressed.

[ChitownSteve]

Watching DePaul against SE Missouri St - team ranked 286 by KenPom.
They are losing 38-33 at the half and looks like there is about 50 people in Allstate Arena - not counting coaches and players.
Per their official website their average home attendance in their 8 home games is a little over 3,500. per game.
I guess when the team has lost 20+ games in 7 of the last 9 seasons and the other 2 seasons they lost 19 games, you get that level of attendance.
Well...as ChiTown Steve says - at least it's easy to get in and out of games.
Hard to believe that Depaul was a gold standard program back in the late 70's into the 80's.
Makes me appreciate what Xavier has accomplished over the past 30+ years in terms of sustained excellence - from Staak to Mack.

Yes, it was very easy in, easy out this evening. I did not take the time to count, estimating the "crowd" in the 1,000 range, which is where it has been for the lesser non-conference opponents.

Speaking of being a previous gold standard program, tonight my wife and I (both DePaul grads) were discussing DePaul's history at the Allstate Arena (formerly known as the Rosemont Horizon). On December 1, 1980 we attended the first Blue Demon game at the then new arena when DePaul defeated Gonzaga and John Stockton 74-56.

We have tickets for the final, ever, home game at the Allstate on March 4, 2017 ... vs. Xavier ... where both of our children attended. Yes, despite our seats right by the DePaul bench, we will be supporting X and wearing X attire.

For us, seems like a rather fitting conclusion .. Go Muskies!

[JKC74]

I repeat. Its a Vincentian thing!! From the beginning Niagara U with Calvin Murphy had the chance to become a meaningful program in the Northeast. Never got close to repeating that success, no commitment by the administration. St. John's U a longtime extremely successful program, totally unable to adjust to the changing landscape of High School and College ball. The program has become almost invisible. DePaul obviously suffers from the same inability to adjust to the way players are recruited away from their High School and their home town to play at "Prep" schools. If they can't recruit some decent players from Chicagoland they will become the Fordham of the Big East.