The DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball program is the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...

intercollegiate men's basketball program of

DePaul University DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Cat ...

in Chicago,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockfo ...

. The team competes in the

Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

. The Blue Demons play home games at

Wintrust Arena Wintrust Arena at McCormick Square, previously referred to as DePaul Arena or McCormick Place Events Center, is a 10,387-seat sports venue in the Near South Side community area of Chicago that opened in 2017. It is the current home court for ...

at the

McCormick Place McCormick Place is the largest convention center in North America. It consists of four interconnected buildings and one indoor arena sited on and near the shore of Lake Michigan, about south of downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States. McCorm ...

convention center on Chicago's Near South Side.

History

DePaul was an independent from 1923 to 1991. It joined the

Great Midwest Conference The Great Midwest Conference was an NCAA Division I athletics conference that existed from 1991 to 1995. History It was formed in 1990 with six members: Cincinnati and Memphis State (now Memphis) from the Metro Conference, UAB from the Sun Bel ...

in 1991 which later merged with the

Metro Conference The Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference, popularly known as the Metro Conference, was an NCAA Division I athletics conference, so named because its six charter members were all in urban metropolitan areas, though its later members did n ...

in 1995 to become

Conference USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are ...

, in which DePaul was a member through 2005. DePaul left for the

in 2005 and was a member until 2012 when it joined the reconfigured Big East in 2013.

Early history (1923–1942)

Robert L. Stevenson was the first head coach in DePaul basketball history. In his one season as coach during the 1923–24 season, he coached the Blue Demons to a record of 8–6. Harry Adams was head coach for the 1924–25 season and finished with a record of 6–13. Eddie Anderson was head coach from 1925 to 1929 and compiled an overall record of 37–26. In 1929,

Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United St ...

became head coach at DePaul where he compiled a record of 99–22 in his 7 seasons as coach before leaving in 1936.

Tom Haggerty Thomas J. Haggerty (died January 14, 1956) was an American college basketball coach. He coached DePaul University to a record of 64–29 from 1936 to 1940, and after a stint in the United States Army, returned to the school in 1944 to become its ...

coached DePaul from 1936 to 1940 and compiled an overall record of 63–32. Bill Wendt coached DePaul for 2 seasons from 1940 to 1941 and had a record of 23–20.

Ray Meyer era (1942–1984)

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and prese ...

head coach

Ray Meyer Raymond Joseph Meyer (December 18, 1913 – March 17, 2006) was an American men's collegiate basketball coach from Chicago, Illinois. He was well known for coaching at DePaul University from 1942 to 1984, compiling a 724–354 record. Meyer ...

coached at DePaul for 42 years from 1942 to 1984 and finished with an overall 724–354 record (.672). He coached his team's to 21 post-season appearances (13 NCAA, eight NIT). Meyer led his teams to two Final Four appearances in the

1943 NCAA basketball tournament The 1943 NCAA basketball tournament involved eight schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 24, 1943, and ended with the championship game on Mar ...

and

1979 NCAA Division I basketball tournament The 1979 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 40 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 9 and ended with the championship game on Ma ...

. Meyer's 1943 Final Four appearance was his first season coaching DePaul. His teams were a No. 1 seed in its NCAA regional three years in a row in 1980,

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

and

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., U ...

. Meyer led DePaul past Bowling Green to capture the

1945 National Invitation Tournament The 1945 National Invitation Tournament was the 1945 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the eight teams selected for the tournament.

, the school's only post-season title. In total, Meyer recorded 37 winning seasons and twelve 20-win seasons, including seven straight from 1978 to 1984. Meyer coached

George Mikan George Lawrence Mikan Jr. (; June 18, 1924 – June 1, 2005), nicknamed "Mr. Basketball", was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of t ...

who was inducted into the

in 1959, made the 25th and 35th NBA Anniversary Teams of 1970 and 1980, and was elected one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players ever in 1996. Meyer also coached the 1980

Naismith College Player of the Year The Naismith College Player of the Year is an annual basketball award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the top men's and women's collegiate basketball players. It is named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. History an ...

Mark Aguirre Mark Anthony Aguirre (born December 10, 1959) is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Aguirre was chosen as the first overall pick of the 1981 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks after playing three ...

. During Ray Meyer's tenure, the Blue Demons originally played in University Auditorium before moving to Alumni Hall in 1956. For the start of the 1980 season, DePaul men's basketball moved to the

Rosemont Horizon Allstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Rosemont, Illinois, United States. It is located near the intersection of Mannheim Road and Interstate 90, adjacent to the city limits of Chicago and O'Hare International Airport. The facility opened in ...

later renamed Allstate Arena.

Joey Meyer era (1984–1997)

Joey Meyer was head coach of DePaul from 1984 to 1997 compiling an overall record of 231–158. He started as an assistant coach at DePaul for eleven seasons under his father,

."Following Father, Meyer Falters A Bit," Stephen A. Smith, Philadelphia Inquirer, Saturday, January 4, 1997. When Ray Meyer retired in 1984, Joey Meyer was promoted to head coach.2010-11 DePaul Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 100.
/ref> Joey Meyer led DePaul to seven NCAA Tournament appearances in his first eight seasons, including back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances in his second and third seasons. In the 1986 tournament, #12-seeded DePaul—led by freshman guard

Rod Strickland Rodney Strickland (born July 11, 1966) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He is currently the head coach at Long Island University. Prior to LIU, he served as the program manager for the NBA G League's profe ...

(14.1 ppg season average) and junior

Dallas Comegys Dallas Alonzo Comegys (born August 17, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. College career Comegys played collegiate basketball for the DePaul Blue Demons in the NCAA Division I from 1983 to 1987. Professional career C ...

(13.8 ppg) -- upset #5-seeded

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

and #4-seeded

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

in the East regional before losing to top-seeded

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

74–67.2010-11 DePaul Men's Basketball Media Guide, pp. 148-152.
/ref> In 1987, the Blue Demons—again led by Comegys (17.5 ppg) and Strickland (16.3 ppg) -- finished the regular season 26–2 and received a #3 seed in the Midwest regional of the 1987 tournament. They defeated #14-seeded

Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activi ...

and #6-seeded St. John's before losing to #10-seeded

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisian ...

. Meyer was honored as the Chevrolet Coach of the Year in 1987.2010-11 DePaul Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 117.
/ref> Besides seven NCAA tournament appearances, Meyer led the Blue Demons to three appearances in the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York Cit ...

. In both

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicentenn ...

and

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, DePaul reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, but they were on a downward trajectory. In 1992, the Blue Demons were co-champions of the newly formed

but made their last NCAA tournament appearance under Meyer. In 1996, they finished 11–18, their first losing season since 1971, and the next year, a young DePaul team finished 3–23. Meyer was dismissed on April 28, 1997.

Pat Kennedy era (1997–2002)

Pat Kennedy was named head coach after Joey Meyer. It was the first time a member of the Meyer family hadn't coached DePaul basketball in 55 years. Kennedy coached DePaul from 1997 to 2002 and finished with an overall record of 67–85.

Dave Leitao era – First tenure (2002–2005)

Dave Leitao was named head coach at DePaul for the 2002–03 season. His teams made post-season play in all three of his seasons as head coach. In his second season, his team advanced to the second round of the 2004 NCAA tournament before being eliminated by eventual national champion Connecticut. His teams also played in the

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...

and

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

NIT Tournaments. In his first stint as head coach at Depaul, he finished with a 58–34 overall record. Leitao left to become the head coach at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective adm ...

in 2005.Dave Leitao returns as head coach at DePaul
accessed April 30, 2019

Jerry Wainwright era (2005–2010)

Jerry Wainwright was named DePaul head coach in 2005. In his first season he finished with a 12–15 record. In his second season in 2006–07, the Blue Demons beat #5

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the w ...

, pulling off one of the greatest upsets in school history. They also beat 2006 NCAA tournament teams California, Northwestern State, Marquette, Connecticut and Villanova with Wainwright leading the Blue Demons to the

2007 National Invitation Tournament The 2007 National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 32 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (NCAA), Division I teams which did not participate in the 2007 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament ...

quarterfinals before losing to

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

. Four games into the 2007–08 season, Wainwright logged his 200th career win as a head coach, but the team finished with a 10–19 record. The 2008–2009 season saw DePaul finish 9–24 overall and 0–18 in regular season Big East play. Wainwright began the 2009–10 season as head coach, but was fired on January 11, 2010 after a 7–8 start to the season. He still had two years remaining on his contract at the time of his firing. Wainwright finished with a 59–80 overall record in his five years at DePaul. Assistant coach

Tracy Webster Tracy Webster (born April 7, 1971) is a former American basketball coach. Webster worked as an assistant coach at Kentucky, Illinois, Purdue, Ball State, DePaul, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Cal. He was the interim head coach at DePaul from January ...

was named interim head coach for the remainder of the 2009–10 season and finished with a 1–15 record.

Oliver Purnell era (2010–2015)

On April 6, 2010,

Oliver Purnell Oliver Gordon Purnell Jr. (born May 19, 1953) is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Radford University from 1988 to 1991, Old Dominion University from 1991 to 1994, the University of Dayto ...

, formerly of

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

signed a seven-year deal with DePaul. In his first season in 2010–11, Purnell finished with a record of 7–24. The rest of his tenure saw his teams with finish with similar records of 12–19 during the 2011–2012 season, 11–21 during the 2012–2013 season, 12–21 during the 2013–2014 season and 12–20 in 2014–15. At the conclusion of the 2014–2015 season, Purnell announced his resignation. He finished with an overall record of 54–105 at DePaul.

Dave Leitao era – Second tenure (2015–2021)

Dave Leitao returned for his second stint as DePaul head basketball coach for the 2015–2016 season. The team finished with a record of 9–22 in his first season back with the Blue Demons. The 2016–2017 season saw the Blue Demons finish with a 9–23 record in Leitao's second season. This season would be DePaul's last season playing at

Allstate Arena Allstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Rosemont, Illinois, United States. It is located near the intersection of Mannheim Road and Interstate 90, adjacent to the city limits of Chicago and O'Hare International Airport. The facility opened i ...

Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Located immediately northwest of Chicago, as of the 2010 census it had a population of 4,202. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before that. Wh ...

after 37 years at the venue. For the 2017–2018 season, the Blue Demons moved back to Chicago to play their home games at 10,387-seat

at the

convention center. The first season at Wintrust Arena saw the Blue Demons return to double-digit wins finishing with a record of 11–20 in Leitao's third season. Following the 2017–2018 season, DePaul's eleventh straight losing season under coaches hired by current Athletic Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto, a group of "concerned students and alumni" purchased a full page advertisement in the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicag ...

'' calling for change within the school's Athletic Department. Additional reasons the students and alumni wanted change was that since the 1989–90 season, DePaul had won only one NCAA tournament game in the 29 seasons that transpired. DePaul had also only been to two NCAA Tournaments since the 1991–92 season, hadn't qualified for the NCAA Tournament since the 2003–04 season and the Blue Demons had not made postseason play since 2006–07. Additionally, DePaul finished last in the Big East eight out of the past ten seasons including a tie for last place during the 2017–18 season. The 2018–2019 season saw a turnaround for DePaul as the Blue Demons finished with a 19–17 overall record. In Leitao's fourth season, he led the Blue Demons to the

2019 College Basketball Invitational The 2019 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) was a single-elimination men's college basketball tournament consisting of 16 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I teams that did not participate in the 2019 NCAA Men's Divisi ...

post-season tournament. The team finished as runner-up to the University of South Florida Bulls. In the Best of Three Championship series, DePaul beat South Florida in game 2, but dropped games one and three to the Bulls to give DePaul a second-place finish in the tournament.

Tony Stubblefield era – (2021–present)

On April 1, 2021, Tony Stubblefield was hired as head coach. He previously served as an assistant coach at Oregon.

Championships

Final Fours

DePaul has played in two Final Fours in the

NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from ...

. The Blue Demons are 0–2 all-time in the Final Four.

NIT Championships

DePaul has won one

(NIT) championship.

Conference championships

DePaul has won a total of two conference championships since leaving independent status following the 1990–91 season.

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Blue Demons have appeared in the NCAA tournament 22 times. Their combined record is 21–25, although the NCAA vacated their appearances from 1986 to 1989, thereby making their record officially 15–21. * Vacated by the NCAA

NIT results

The Blue Demons have appeared in the

(NIT) 16 times. Their combined record is 17–17. They were NIT Champions in 1945.

CBI results

The Blue Demons have appeared in the

College Basketball Invitational The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI s ...

(CBI) one time. Their record is 4–2.

Honors

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and prese ...

Retired numbers

DePaul has retired two jersey numbers.

National Player of the Year

National Coach of the Year

DePaul has had two of their coaches awarded the National Coach of the Year, done on five occasions.

Professional players

The following former DePaul Blue Demons have played in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

or original ABA: *

* Andre Brown * Stanley Brundy *

Em Bryant Emmette "Em" Bryant (born November 4, 1937) is a retired American professional basketball player and Vice President/Chicago Chapter at NBA Alumni. Career A 6'1" guard from DePaul University, Bryant was drafted in the 1964 NBA Draft by the New Yor ...

* Howie Carl *

Wilson Chandler Wilson Jamall Chandler (born May 10, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the NBA for 13 seasons, mainly with the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets. He has also played for Zhejiang Guangsha of the Chinese ...

Tyrone Corbin Tyrone Kennedy Corbin (born December 31, 1962) is an American former basketball player and assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets. He was first appointed the assistant coach of the Phoenix Suns, then was named the Utah Jazz’s head coach, on Fe ...

* Dave Corzine *

Terry Cummings Robert Terrell "Terry" Cummings (born March 15, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Cummings was voted Rookie of the Year and was a two-time All-Star, a ...

Gene Dyker Eugene Walter Dyker (February 17, 1930 – January 26, 1966) was a forward in the National Basketball Association. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The ...

Kevin Edwards Kevin Durell Edwards (born October 30, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who currently serves as DePaul University men's basketball team's director of community, corporate, and professional relations. Edwards was selecte ...

* Ron Feiereisel * Elmer Gainer *

Gary Garland Gary Joseph Houston ( né Garland; born October 12, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season with the Nuggets ( 1979–80). Gary is the hal ...

* Billy Garrett Jr. * Bato Govedarica * Myke Henry * Stephen Howard * Steven Hunter * Johnny Jorgensen * Whitey Kachan * Paul McPherson * Ed Mikan *

* Errol Palmer * Jack Phelan * Paul Reed * Quentin Richardson * Bill Robinzine * Bobby Simmons * Ron Sobieszczyk *

Gene Stump Eugene Andrew Stump (August 9, 1925 – 2014) was an American former professional basketball player.Ge ...

* Max Strus * Dick Triptow The following former DePaul Blue Demons have played professionally in leagues outside of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

: * David Booth * Tom Kleinschmidt * Draelon Burns * Worrell Clahar *

Cliff Clinkscales Clifford Clinkscales (born March 11, 1984) is an American professional basketball assistant coach for the KW Titans of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada) and a former player. A point guard, Clinkscales began playing professio ...

*Drake Diener *Marty Embry *Kevin Holmes *Sammy Mejía *Brandon Young

Arenas

Wintrust Arena

Wintrust Arena is a 10,387-seat multi-purpose sports venue in Chicago. The arena opened in 2017 and is home of the DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team.

Allstate Arena

Allstate Arena, formerly the Rosemont Horizon, opened in 1980 and was home of the DePaul men's basketball team from its opening until 2017. The arena sat 17,500 people for basketball.

Alumni Hall

Alumni Hall was completed in 1956 and was the on-campus home venue of the DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team through 1980 when the Rosemont Horizon opened.

University Auditorium

University Auditorium, nicknamed "The Barn", was the original on-campus home gymnasium for DePaul men's basketball starting in 1923 until 1956.

Alternate arenas

Sullivan Athletic Center, McGrath-Phillips Arena, located in the Sullivan Athletic Center, was the home venue for select on-campus games for the men's basketball team from 2000 until 2017. The venue also hosted DePaul men's basketball games during the

and

Tournament. Chicago Stadium was the home of college basketball doubleheaders involving the DePaul men's basketball team in the 1940s and 1950s.

Practice and Training facilities

McGrath-Phillips Arena is the practice facility for the DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team. The facility is located in the Sullivan Athletic Center, which was completed in 2000.

Head coaches

Footnotes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Depaul Blue Demons Men's Basketball DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball,