DePaul Coaching Search

[JakeBarnes]

Chicos, when was the last time you were in Chicago? 1978?

C'mon, Lincoln Park is the hottest part of the city. It is extremely fashionable and young people especially seek out the chance to live there. Housing prices are on par with parts of LA and San Francisco (markets I suspect you know).

As far as academics, when do most high level college basketball players worry about academics? OK, a few do. But many are looking for an opportunity in the NBA. And DePaul being in the heart of Chicago should result in some strong exposure for kids who do not have intentions of playing in the Association.

Finally, my view of DePaul Athletics is this: You live within your means. And as AD, Jean Lenti-Ponsetto has to fight for dollars and she has to command enough respect from Adminsitration to give her the money she requests. Either she doesn't command their respect or she isn't battling for the money. One or the other.

I think this turd is recyclable. But I do think it's going to take a nasty overhaul of the AD beginning with Ms. Lenti-Ponsetto. She needs to go, given her record. Or be demoted to something she better understands. Regardless, something is VERY wrong there.

I'm going to have to second this as I feel like I have to defend the lakeview/LP area where Depaul is located. Depaul is about 2 blocks away from houses ranging upwards of 1.5 million. If that's not considered a good area of town with property values in that range, I have no idea what is.

[Pakuni]

DePaul is not considered a very strong academic school, it is not in the greatest part of town, they have lost forever, the $$ doesn't seem to be there...that's a tough turd to polish.  It is her job to get the administration to fund those areas, or to get them through fund raising.  Again, easier said than done.  The new arena will certainly help.

For an 18- to 30-year-old, DePaul is definitely in the greatest part of town. I'm not sure it's even close.

[Benny B]

For an 18- to 30-year-old, DePaul is definitely in the greatest part of town. I'm not sure it's even close.

If money were no object, I think most 18-30 year olds would opt for River North, Streeterville or West Town or something pretty damn close-in.  Depends on what you're looking for.

DePaul has a great location, but it's really on the fringe of LP and Lakeview, so it's not like you're in the heart of the action.  That said, it's still an excellent part of town, just not the greatest, IMO.

Of course, I inferred - like many - that Chicos has his head up his six and has no idea about today's neighborhood around DePaul.

[JakeBarnes]

If money were no object, I think most 18-30 year olds would opt for River North, Streeterville or West Town or something pretty damn close-in.  Depends on what you're looking for.

DePaul has a great location, but it's really on the fringe of LP and Lakeview, so it's not like you're in the heart of the action.  That said, it's still an excellent part of town, just not the greatest, IMO.

Of course, I inferred - like many - that Chicos has his head up his six and has no idea about today's neighborhood around DePaul.

There is literally nothing to do in streeterville, nor is there any ability to get there. Streeterville is for people who want to live in chicago but are afraid of living in chicago.

 I hated River north when I lived there (outside of living above a Whole foods), but sure... you get a lot of steakhouses to choose from and it's great if you like going to clubs.

[Pakuni]

If money were no object, I think most 18-30 year olds would opt for River North, Streeterville or West Town or something pretty damn close-in.  Depends on what you're looking for.

DePaul has a great location, but it's really on the fringe of LP and Lakeview, so it's not like you're in the heart of the action.  That said, it's still an excellent part of town, just not the greatest, IMO.

Of course, I inferred - like many - that Chicos has his head up his six and has no idea about today's neighborhood around DePaul.

River North, maybe.
I don't think many college students or just out of college kids would chose Streeterville or West Town over Lincoln Park. Nice places to live and all, but not nearly as much to do for the average person.

[Benny B]

Streeterville is for people who want to live in chicago but are afraid of living in chicago.

I thought that was Naperville's slogan.

[mr.MUskie]

From today's Tribune...

Crucial call should be joint one
DePaul must help AD put coach with identity on bench

PHIL VELASQUEZ/CHICAGO TRIBUNE
DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto introduced Oliver Purnell, who was 138-90 at Clemson, as basketball coach in April 2010.
Before DePaul can judge any short list of potential basketball coaches, perhaps university President Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider needs to re-evaluate the person making it.

Athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto offers DePaul 40 years of institutional knowledge, integrity and experience that still could serve a valuable purpose in various other roles in the department. Nobody on campus represents DePaul with any more pride or class. But the fact remains that Lenti Ponsetto has hired two men’s basketball coaches at DePaul since officially taking over as AD in July 2002, and Jerry Wainwright and Oliver Purnell both failed miserably following Dave Leitao.

What makes anybody on the DePaul Board of Trustees confident Lenti Ponsetto will get it right now? The success of other Blue Demons programs on Lenti Ponsetto’s watch, while impressive, means little; basketball defines tenures and determines legacies at DePaul.

If the DePaul powers that be allow Lenti Ponsetto to find Purnell’s replacement, out of practicality, they at least can help her make a better decision this time. Hire an independent consultant familiar with Chicago but not necessarily one of those national search firms that recommends somebody with limited exposure to the city’s recruiting rhythms. Freshen the approach to reduce the chances of the next coach becoming Lenti Ponsetto’s third strike. The key for the new guy isn’t being from Chicago as much as knowing from experience where to locate players once he arrives.

Lenti Ponsetto declined all interview requests until completing the search, which has begun. The man she eventually introduces should be someone who instills an identity and installs a system — what Chris Collins did for Northwestern. The next DePaul coach should be someone with a proven track record of recruiting elite talent and young enough to relate to the AAU generation. The successor must exude energy and enthusiasm, a guy hungry to use DePaul to land a bigger job if he wishes rather than a sleepy coach content to collect fat paychecks on his way to retirement.

Stop hiring guys in their late 50s on their last coaching stops. Stop believing DePaul must hire a coach who connects with the Mark Aguirre era. The recruits who will turn the program around weren’t alive when Aguirre helped make DePaul more relevant locally than the Bulls. The notion of reconnecting with DePaul’s past sounds romantic, but it’s unnecessary.

The parity of the Big East permits programs such as DePaul more opportunities than the previously bloated version full of football schools. In theory, the job should be more appealing now with fewer teams because schools such as Georgetown and St. John’s win without sparkling facilities.

In reality, it will be up to whomever Lenti Ponsetto hires to have a team ready to compete for a conference title by the time DePaul’s 10,000-seat McCormick Place arena is scheduled to open before the 2017-18 season.

The team the next Blue Demons coach will inherit possesses a roster that was good enough to begin conference play 5-2.

The nucleus of Billy Garrett Jr., Thomas Hamilton IV, Myke Henry and Rashaun Stimage gives the next coach more than Purnell had in 2010-11. But besides recruiting, DePaul’s new coach must excel at teaching because Purnell’s players too seldom progressed.

Look what Providence did in hiring Ed Cooley, a longtime Boston College assistant who succeeded in his first head-coaching job at Fairfield. The Friars have made the NCAAs in two of Cooley’s first four years. He was 42 when he took the job. DePaul would be wise to follow a similar model.

Manhattan coach Steve Masiello, 37, for example, helped sign three top-10 recruiting classes in six years at Louisville before taking over his own program, which copies coach Rick Pitino’s unrelenting, attacking 94-foot game. The Jaspers play a distinctive style. Masiello also navigated Chicago well enough to land former Morgan Park star Wayne Black-shear for Louisville, where a mutual friend introduced him to Casey Urlacher and his older brother Brian. Masiello and the Urlachers remain friends, with Brian labeling Masiello “a stud’’ when asked about him Monday.

Buffalo coach Bobby Hurley wouldn’t come with Urlacher’s endorsement but with a Duke pedigree and the kind of quick Mid-American Conference success John Groce converted into the Illinois job. Valparaiso’s Bryce Drew, Green Bay’s Brian Wardle and LaSalle’s John Giannini — all candidates according to a source — offer the right mix of experience and ambition. In a fluid process, other names could emerge with no connection to DePaul’s past but a solid plan for its future. What mid-major NCAA coach will go on a run?

The Blue Demons stayed home from the NCAA tournament for the 11th straight year, but Chicago is well-represented in the 68-team field. It’s up to Lenti Ponsetto, ideally with some help, to find a coach who finally gives elite prospects in America’s worst major-college basketball city a reason to stay home. dhaugh@tribpub.com Twitter @DavidHaugh

[Dawson Rental]

I suppose it's interesting in how bad it is!  Is this really the best the Trib thinks they can do?  -

Mark Aguirre- zero coaching experience!  And I'd have to double check the article, but pretty sure that includes assistant level even!!!
Ty Corbin- coaching experience - interim Sac Kings coach of which he was fired and is now in the all important "advisory role" for the franchise.  But hey, both these guys did play at DePaul when they were still relevant 30 plus years ago.

Howland?  He's obviously a guy no one wants to touch anymore after how it went down at UCLA, fair or not.  ( and please nobody show me the SI link, I knew the story long before I brought his name up in another thread yesterday).

A Georgetown assistant?  Because Georgetown has reached elite heights under JTIII, yes they're solid year in and year out, then get to postseason and collapse.

Steve Maisello - OK, he probably can coach and is ready to move up to a major D-1 program, but the reason he's not there now is he lied about graduating from Kentucky.  Character red flag maybe?

Bryce Drew- Valpo- he's the only legitimate name on the list that they should even be looking at.

Man, if this is the best they can come up with as a field of candidates, they truly are hopeless at that school.  Pathetic.

Congrats, you found negatives for every one of the candidates.  But can you tell what is signal and what is noise?

On that list, I see one outstanding candidate, two solid ones and two hit or miss types.  BTW, I put Howland in the hit or miss category.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

The Tribune has Matt's brother covering DePaul basketball?

[JWags85]

Congrats, you found negatives for every one of the candidates.  But can you tell what is signal and what is noise?

On that list, I see one outstanding candidate, two solid ones and two hit or miss types.  BTW, I put Howland in the hit or miss category.

I assume you went

Outstanding : Bryce Drew

Solid: GT Assistant and Masiello

Hit or Miss: Howland and Aguirre

I dont disagree except that is awfully generous to Aguirre.  He's been out of the game for 20 years, he might be a good coach eventually, but he'd be completely over his head.  I could see it if he'd been an assistant at any point, but he's been in the corporate world.

[Dawson Rental]

I assume you went

Outstanding : Bryce Drew

Solid: GT Assistant and Masiello

Hit or Miss: Howland and Aguirre

I dont disagree except that is awfully generous to Aguirre.  He's been out of the game for 20 years, he might be a good coach eventually, but he'd be completely over his head.  I could see it if he'd been an assistant at any point, but he's been in the corporate world.

Actually, we agree on Aguirre, he was the one I left out of consideration completely with Corbin being the second one in the hit or miss category.  Corbin has coached on the NBA level and can sell that experience to recruits, but when you've not previously recruited, it's always uncertain that you can be successful at it.

My outstanding candidate actually was Tavaras Hardy.  He's proven he can recruit top talent with Chicago ties which I see as the key to a DePaul resurgence, and a Northwestern degree proves that he's got more than enough intelligence to be a head coach.  College basketball has been his profession for more than 15 years.  He can also add an experienced HC to his staff to provide advice while he gets head coaching experience himself.

Marquette's last four successful hires (O'Neill, Crean, Buzz and Wojo) were all high major assistants who came in with reputations as recruiters and succeeded by bringing talent into the program, even if personality quirks eventually derailed the first three.

[mr.MUskie]

The Tribune has Matt's brother covering DePaul basketball?

Actually the article was by David Haugh.  Phil Velasquez took the photo that accompanied the article. No idea if they're related.

[thekahoona]

It's a shame he's not quite ready, but I've seen Tommy Kleinschmidt coach (he coached my son in summer bball camps)... He could be good for them some day. He's well connected with the CPS coaches and is hugely respected in town. He's currently the coach at DePaul Prep in Chicago.

He's just never run anything this big.

[LloydsLegs]

It's a shame he's not quite ready, but I've seen Tommy Kleinschmidt coach (he coached my son in summer bball camps)... He could be good for them some day. He's well connected with the CPS coaches and is hugely respected in town. He's currently the coach at DePaul Prep in Chicago.

He's just never run anything this big.

DePaul Prep is just the new name for Gordon Tech, TK's high school.  So he is coaaching his old high school.  He has no business based on his resume of getting a big 5 conference coaching job.

On the DePaul neighborhood:  Chicos, on this one you have no idea what you're talking about. Have no idea where that came from. 

On DePaul job generally, they do not deserve a good coach until they put money into the program (facilities, recruiting, staff) and priortize it ahead of other athletic programs at the school.  And that ain't happening under this AD.

[mu-rara]

Was having lunch with a friend whose daughter plays softball in the Big East.  Reference has been made that Ponsetto's husband is attached to the DP athletic department, and she favors women's sports, but I never saw the particulars.

Her husband coaches the DePaul softball team, and her daughters both play on the team.  Many of you probably knew that, but it connected the dots for me.

[GGGG]

Was having lunch with a friend whose daughter plays softball in the Big East.  Reference has been made that Ponsetto's husband is attached to the DP athletic department, and she favors women's sports, but I never saw the particulars.

Her husband coaches the DePaul softball team, and her daughters both play on the team.  Many of you probably knew that, but it connected the dots for me.

Her *brother* coaches the softball team.  She has another brother working in the athletic department as well.

Her husband, Joe Ponsetto, played for Ray Meyer in the 1970s.

It is all very incestuous. 

[Galway Eagle]

Her *brother* coaches the softball team.  She has another brother working in the athletic department as well.

Her husband, Joe Ponsetto, played for Ray Meyer in the 1970s.

It is all very incestuous. 

All these reasons are why she's not going anywhere. In fact if she had any love for her and her husband's alma mater (and I'm guessing many other family members) she'd either step down or hire a consulting group over making the decision herself. 

[willie warrior]

Her *brother* coaches the softball team.  She has another brother working in the athletic department as well.

Her husband, Joe Ponsetto, played for Ray Meyer in the 1970s.

It is all very incestuous. 

yes, and Joey, Ray's son also played for ray and later was Coach. The incest is very clear. Wonder who George Mikan was boinking?

[mu-rara]

Her *brother* coaches the softball team.  She has another brother working in the athletic department as well.

Her husband, Joe Ponsetto, played for Ray Meyer in the 1970s.

It is all very incestuous.  

Thanks for the clarification.  Apparently he is a good coach.  Top program year after year.

Larger point remains.  Her daughters play sports at DePaul.  That was one of the dots I was missing. 

[thekahoona]

Her *brother* coaches the softball team.  She has another brother working in the athletic department as well.

Her husband, Joe Ponsetto, played for Ray Meyer in the 1970s.

It is all very incestuous. 

Yep. It's Chicago.

[real chili 83]

Ners to DePaul.

[Dawson Rental]

All these reasons are why she's not going anywhere. In fact if she had any love for her and her husband's alma mater (and I'm guessing many other family members) she'd either step down or hire a consulting group over making the decision herself.  

And they are the reasons why I am skeptical anyone can succeed as head coach of the men's basketball program.  While Lenti-Ponsetto is there the atmosphere and resources to build a top flight program will not exist.

Every morning when I get up, I thank God for not guiding me to matriculate at DePaul.

[brewcity77]

Adam Zagoria and Roy Schmidt both reporting on Twitter the DePaul job is basically Ben Howland's to lose. I assume because the old retread coach worked so well the last couple times.

[Loose Cannon]

Adam Zagoria and Roy Schmidt both reporting on Twitter the DePaul job is basically Ben Howland's to lose. I assume because the old retread coach worked so well the last couple times.

STRIKE THREE...........ask Carlino.

[Pakuni]

Hmmm. Would be a very un-DePaul like hire, and a risky one.
Not that safe ones have worked out for them.

Roy Schmidt @prepbullseye
Have been told by a source who would surely know that Bobby Hurley is now DePaul's top target for the HC opening there.