Reggie Theus To Interview Tomorrow At DePaul

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/rosenblog/2010/04/if-depaul-knew-what-it-was-it-would-know-who-to-hire-or-at-least-how-to-go-about-it.html

DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto said she had a robust list of coaching candidates from big-deal conferences and sounded like she was waiting for the NCAA tournament to wind down because of some of the big names she targeted.

And then the first known candidate to interview -- or at least the first known candidate not to laugh out loud -- is an assistant coach for an NBA team that just lost 16 in a row.

It's not necessarily that former Bull Reggie Theus, now on the Minnesota Timberwolves bench, is the wrong choice. In fact, he has an resume that includes turning around a New Mexico State program. But so what? The point is, anyone DePaul hires will be the wrong choice because DePaul has no idea what it is -- a mid-major, at best, not Big East-caliber.

DePaul is an urban school with high admission standards expected to recruit an urban area with a bad school system, and even if it does get a couple urban kids, the neighborhood has to drive to the suburbs to watch them play. The situation is unwinnable and the Lincoln Park wonks appear unchangeable. Mommy, make it stop.

Ponsetto also made it known early that she would throw big money at coaching candidates, which is the dumbest thing a negotiator can do and becomes even more embarrassing when you seen so many big names back away so quickly from even the faint hint of a rumored link to DePaul. Keep your money, the likes of Ben Howland and Jamie Dixon said. Who knows, they might've even paid DePaul not to interview them. What else does tone-deaf DePaul need to hear?

DePaul is a steppingstone, not a destination. Right now, it is the worst kind of steppingstone -- the kind where other programs know it's a hopeless situation and actually give you credit for losing. Credit or pity.

The interesting thing is that MU has had some luck with Chicago kids and so has UofI. Now, I assume parents/family have to drive to those locations to see the games, right?

Again, I'm no fan of the All-state, but I think it's just an easy scapegoat for everything that is "wrong" with DePaul.

Truthfully, it looks like they really need a shift in priorities and identify a good coach and commit to him and to building a top notch athletics program (easy to type, hard to do).

Maybe Reggie Theus is the guy, I have no idea.

But, I can tell you that bad marketing, poor play, small budgets, and poor recruiting are hurting DePaul a lot more than the All-State arena.

Get a good coach, revamp the sports marketing department, commit a good amount of $ to basektball, recruit chicago like crazy. Profit.

[MUFC9295]

Finkl site won't happen.  The cost of building might very well be dwarfed by the remediation costs.  The Cabrini/Old Town/Lincoln Park option (where ever it is) would be more likely.  I have also heard of a Lincoln Park option right by the University... neither me or "my source" had more specific location information.  But the fact it was mentioned stood out to both of us as LP is densely populated/built up.

[Norm]

The scroll on ESPN just noted that Isaish Thomas, now at Florida International, is interested in the DePaul job.

While Thomas has his haters and doubters, he is a Chicago boy who is still a legend there on the playgrounds and he could be an effective recruiter there.

[Pakuni]

The scroll on ESPN just noted that Isaish Thomas, now at Florida International, is interested in the DePaul job.

While Thomas has his haters and doubters, he is a Chicago boy who is still a legend there on the playgrounds and he could be an effective recruiter there.

No doubt the leading candidate among the females in DePaul's athletic department.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

The scroll on ESPN just noted that Isaish Thomas, now at Florida International, is interested in the DePaul job.

While Thomas has his haters and doubters, he is a Chicago boy who is still a legend there on the playgrounds and he could be an effective recruiter there.

Yikes.

That can't end well.

[Dawson Rental]

Yikes.

That can't end well.

The part about the Isiah Thomas article that I really like is where he suggests that he can get his Florida International recruits to follow him to DePaul.  He was hired ONE YEAR AGO, and he's ready to jump ship WITH HIS recruits.  If I was FIU, I would feel very cheap and used right now.