Inside Slant
DePaul introduced Oliver Purnell as its new coach April 6, a hire that surprised many, including Purnell himself.
He was committed to Clemson, which comes off its best four-year stretch ever under Purnell, but was lured by the administration's commitment to making DePaul basketball relevant again. While at Dayton and Clemson, Purnell came up short in one key area NCAA Tournament wins. The Tigers lost in the first round of the 2010 tournament to Missouri, marking the third straight season that ended in that fashion.
The Blue Demons have plenty of work to do.
In some ways, the 2009-10 season was even more disappointing for DePaul than last year, when the team went the entire year without a Big East victory. That team did manage to pull off an upset in the Big East tournament, at least.
The 2009-10 team had some decent hopes of improvement with both of its high scorers, Will Walker and Mac Koshwal, back to provide an inside-outside game. But the wins just didn't come and Koshwal was injured, as was coach Jerry Wainwright.
First, Wainwright's leg was injured, then his pride was when he was fired at midseason and replaced for the interim by Tracy Webster, one of his assistants.
The change in coaches didn't provide much of a change only one victory, that by a point over Marquette but the margin of defeat did seem to narrow as the year went on. In fact, while the regular season ended with 12 straight losses, nine of them were by fewer than 10 points and Syracuse escaped an upset with a two-point victory. DePaul posted a 1-17 record under Webster.
Still, there were myriad problems. Injuries took a toll. Koshwal, in the midst of a big season, went down twice and missed 12 games, averaging a double-double with 16.1 points and 10.1 rebounds a game.
That meant Walker could not leave the floor and became the league's iron man, leading the Big East by playing 38.07 minutes a game. It took a toll on him he scored just 54 points in his final five regular-season games for a 10.8 average, about five below his season mark.FINAL RECORD: 8-23, 1-17, 16th in the Big East.
WHAT WENT RIGHT: When you are as bad as DePaul has become over the last two years, you look dig deep for the few bright spots. The Blue Demons did improve down the stretch, although they did not have victories to show for it. They were playing teams to within single digits and went down hard in the regular-season finale, losing in three overtimes to St. John's.
While it's true a loss is a loss is a loss, DePaul knows that improvement is going to come with baby steps.
Will Walker and Mac Koshwal did what was expected of them, but Walker's effort was Herculean with Koshwal out for 12 games because of an injury. During that time, Walker WAS the offense and played almost every minute. He wound up leading the Big East in minutes played.
WHAT WENT WRONG: If it could go wrong, it did.
DePaul started the season terribly, reaching so low a point that school officials decided they had to fire coach Jerry Wainwright, a personable, experienced coach who just could not turn things in the right direction.
The move paid dividends under interim coach Tracy Webster in that the Blue Demons did win their only Big East game of the year, edging Marquette by a point, but they closed the season with a 13-game losing streak, including their one-and-done showing in the Big East tournament.
As if not having enough talent to compete wasn't enough, big Mac Koshwal, the team's top player, was injured twice and missed 12 games. He averaged a double-double when he did play.
A midseason knee injury also cost point guard Michael Bizoukas eight games just as he was coming into his own.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Oliver, to me, is one of the huge program builders in the history of our game." Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski on Oliver Purnell.THE GOOD NEWS: There is only one way to go and that isn't down for a team that has won one conference game in two years. DePaul's new coach, Oliver Purnell will have a free ride for a couple of years as he tries to recapture the glory that this program once had. The reputation from the past, which includes a number of great players from George Mikan to Mark Aguirre, could help to draw some talent, as will providing players a chance to compete in the Big East.
THE BAD NEWS: The team's two top scorers figure to be gone next year. G Will Walker is a senior and F Mac Koshwal is expected to go to the NBA because he has little more to accomplish on this level. Going into the offseason without a full-time coach also presented a problem, meaning athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto might not have moved fast enough to get Purnell on April 6. He is basically starting from scratch in one of the toughest conferences in the country.
KEY RETURNEES: If F Mac Koshwal joins senior G Will Walker in leaving the program at the year's end, the Blue Demons' top returning scorer will be Mike Stovall, who averaged only 7.0 points a game. Gs Jeremiah Kelly and Mike Bizoukas are back to run the show. They combined for 131 assists during the season. F Eric Wallace will have to be the horse on the backboards with Koshwal gone. He averaged 4.9 rebounds a game this year.
ROSTER REPORT:
G Will Walker ended his career as the only player in DePaul history with 1,300 career points and 185 3-point goals.
F Mac Koshwal, who entered the NBA draft last year then withdrew, is expected to leave for the NBA and bypass his senior season. Koshwal was team captain for three years. He is the 12th-leading rebounder in school history.
DePaul signed three players for next season G/F Moses Morgan of Las Vegas, C Walter Pitchford of Richmond, Ind., and G Brandon Young of Washington, D.C. At 6-10, Pitchford is hoped to ease the loss of Mac Koshwal if he does indeed turn pro.
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