DePaul vs the Chicago Public League and AAU Coaches

[T-Bone]

I'm guessing the overall sentiment will fade, but Purnell's got some work to do.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/colleges/2144496,CST-SPT-demonside07.article

''I don't know who he is,'' said Mac Irvin Fire coach Mike Irvin, arguably the most influential club coach in the city. ''He has never recruited Chicago. I guess Chicago players aren't important to DePaul.''

Many of the most talented players in the city spend the spring and summer playing for Irvin.

''I thought they would go with a young, energetic guy who would hit the streets of Chicago and get to know some of these kids,'' Irvin said. ''I was shocked they went with the older guy.''

[Dawson Rental]

In Lenti-Ponsetto we trust.  Trust to keep f'ing up the DePaul program!

Not a good initial reaction, but I think that Purnell will eventually win the CPL coaches over.  I can't be certain though. Particularly if his guys don't graduate.

[sailwi]

In one article the PSL and AAU coaches referred to their players as product, nice to see whose interests they have at heart.  The grandstanding and inference of self importance with that group in the articles about Purnell was unbelievable they should have just said we want cash.

It sure sounds like the Chicago AAU scene is a cesspool.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I already saw a clip on local TV with interviews of half these guys who said he called them immediately and they're OK with him.

Those guys are entitled a-holes. Can you imagine the Milwaukee Public League coaches commenting on the Marquette coaching search? One of the reasons Joey Meyer went downhill is because Public League coaches froze him out.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I'm guessing the overall sentiment will fade, but Purnell's got some work to do.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/colleges/2144496,CST-SPT-demonside07.article

''I thought they would go with a young, energetic guy who would hit the streets of Chicago and get to know some of these kids,'' Irvin said. ''I was shocked they went with the older guy.''

If Purnell puts together a good staff, there will be a young assistant out pounding the streets of Chicago.

A realistic success scenario for DePaul would be for Purnell to get a great young assistant(s), help restore the program to respectability, (.500 record in the BEAST) and then hand the program off to his top assistant in 5-7 years.

I think they are in too deep of a hole to get a top young guy to come there right now, so they will essentially have to grow their own using Purnell.

[MUBurrow]

It still makes you think that Mac Irvin (head coach of the Mac Irvin Fire) doesn't even know who Purnell is.  This is not meant to be a knock on Purnell, but as a man who prides himself on getting his players to play D-1 ball at a high level, Irvin doesn't believe he has the responsibility to know all of the major conference coaches.  Instead, its the coaches' fault that he doesn't know of them, because they haven't given him enough attention.  Disgusting.

[KipsBayEagle]

This isn't the 1970's.  Having a home city base does really nothing to help recruiting anymore.  Kids don't want to stay home, they want to go somewhere else most of the time.  We had one scholarship player this past year from the state of wisconsin.  Chicago is a major city, those kids r going to go somewhere else, just like the best players in nyc go somewhere else and not st. johns.  The private schools that have succeeded are not the schools that banked on their city location (depaul, St. Johns)  but rather the schools that have actively improved their academics (Gtown, Nd, nova, marq)  If you were to take all the private schools and rank them academically top to bottom, you would find that the best academic schools also tend to have the best basketball teams  (for those that attempt to).  That is not a coincidence.  If Depaul wants to lure recruits, start upping your academics.

[GGGG]

This isn't the 1970's.  Having a home city base does really nothing to help recruiting anymore.  Kids don't want to stay home, they want to go somewhere else most of the time.  We had one scholarship player this past year from the state of wisconsin.  Chicago is a major city, those kids r going to go somewhere else, just like the best players in nyc go somewhere else and not st. johns.  The private schools that have succeeded are not the schools that banked on their city location (depaul, St. Johns)  but rather the schools that have actively improved their academics (Gtown, Nd, nova, marq)  If you were to take all the private schools and rank them academically top to bottom, you would find that the best academic schools also tend to have the best basketball teams  (for those that attempt to).  That is not a coincidence.  If Depaul wants to lure recruits, start upping your academics.

I don't think that's quite accurate.  You are true that the city where a school is based no longer matters as much, but the academics issue I'm not sure makes much sense and is, in fact, coincidental.  Not to mention that DePaul *has* increased its academics quite a bit over the past couple of decades.

Even under Pat Kennedy, DePaul has had the most success when it has done well with Chicago kids.  I think it is important that they have such connections, but not to rely on them exclusively.

[Marquette65]

DePaul has never really recovered from the Teddy Grubbs matter as to CPL.

Additionally, much like the MPS very few of the CPL kids can qualify for a Div.1 scolly.  Those that can qualify are picked off by the " name" schools ie. Collins at Kansas, and a kid( forget name) who went to Duke etc.

[damuts222]

If Depaul wants to lure recruits, start upping your academics.

I'm not sure where this sentiment is coming from but DePaul is a very good school. Let's be honest here, most recruits don't take academics into account. Look at the majority of their majors.

[KipsBayEagle]

I'm not sure where this sentiment is coming from but DePaul is a very good school. Let's be honest here, most recruits don't take academics into account. Look at the majority of their majors.

I'm not saying Depaul is a bad school, I am saying that if you were to make a list in order of academic standing amongst catholic schools who attempt to have a solid basketball team, it would look almost identical to their rankings in Basketball

[Ready2Fly]

I'm not saying Depaul is a bad school, I am saying that if you were to make a list in order of academic standing amongst catholic schools who attempt to have a solid basketball team, it would look almost identical to their rankings in Basketball

Which list influences which?  And is there an influence at all either way?

It is an indisputable fact that MU applications went through the roof after the final four year, which allowed MU to be more selective, thus increasing the US News ranking.  Did the academic reputation improve the basketball team?  Or did the basketball team improve the academic reputation?

D-Wade not only gave us all a final four run, but he increased the value of our degree considerably.

[4everwarriors]

Good that you gave proper credit to Wade and not his coach.

[GGGG]

Good that you gave proper credit to Wade and not his coach.

Seriously...shut up and keep your obsessive BS in the threads that you (and others) have already tainted.

[T-Bone]

Purnell names his staff. 
CPL and Chicago AAU coaches still not happy - for now.

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/news/story?id=5123374
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-04-21/sports/ct-spt-0422-depaul-basketball--20100421_1_oliver-purnell-assistants-interim-coach-tracy-webster
http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/04/public-league-coaches-unhappy-with-depaul.html

They did not retain Tracy Webster.  I hope he lands some where good for him.  He got his players to play for him in an otherwise bleak environment. 

[GGGG]

The CPL coaches continue to come off looking like doofuses.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

What a bunch of tools. The guy from Simeon is just ridiculous...talking about DePaul will have to go to other gyms to see his players.

How is it that these guys think pointing one of their player to DePaul University, who employs an upstanding African American coach like Oliver Purnell would be a bad thing for these kids? What is wrong with these people?

[GOMU1104]

As dumb as they may be, they control most of (if not all) of the talent in Chicago...a couple of guys that MU is in on.

[MUBurrow]

Yeah, they're dumb like foxes.  The fact that threads are out there with headlines like "DePaul vs..." and DePaul has been a joke isnt a coincidence.  DePaul needs these guys more than they need DePaul right now.  So, like the lowlifes many of them are, until DePaul offers them something (namely a couple of them asst coaching positions, etc) they will keep shi**ing on DePaul and send their recruits elsewhere. 

[brewcity77]

Does Buzz need another assistant? Sounds like a great time to give Tracy Webster a call.

[GGGG]

Does Buzz need another assistant? Sounds like a great time to give Tracy Webster a call.

bma made some good points a few weeks ago in a post about Webster's true effectiveness as a recruiter.  We don't need him.