Forget “Clemsoning”: It is “Depauling” That The Blue Demons Do Not Want to be Taken Seriously

Many Big East Conference fans have grown accustomed to the new version of the old league. I mean, not everything in it has changed. So the adjustment to it seems to have been rather smooth. Jay Wright is still the sharpest dressed man, the conference tournament continues to be played at Madison Square Garden, and the DePaul Blue Demons are the mainstays as the cellar-dwellers of the league — as well as the running punchline for jokers who like to giggle on social media.

Over the years people have thought that DePaul may be more of a sleeping giant than a program that has struggled for over a decade. The line of thought is this: If the right coach were put in place, the Blue Demons could quickly become a perennial power in the Big East and make regularly runs in the NCAA Tournament. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

As with everything DePaul-related over the years, it seems that fans — not just DePaul fans, but everyone on the mean streets of Twitter as well — care more about the success of the Blue Demons than their actual athletic department does.

It is no secret that DePaul’s athletic department likes to use its men’s college basketball earnings to help fund the rest of the school’s sports programs. That is their right. However, as shown by their willingness to let the inept Oliver Purnell era continue as long as it did for the sake of saving loot, the powers that be at DePaul prefer to not invest resources back into the basketball program. It’s normal business for the school — if it values other sports programs as equals to the basketball program, so be it. Just don’t pretend that the basketball program is anything more than a functioning slush fund for everything else.

There are some good things going on for DePaul, just not because of the athletic department. Funding from outside sources (John Q non DePaul alumn) will result in a brand new arena to call home next year. The school is also free of Purnell, as his contract has expired and DePaul no longer has to ride it out in order to avoid paying two coaches at the same time.

There have even been rumors that competent, if not more than capable, basketball coaches are willing to coach there. Two names that were reportedly interviewed over the weekend were Bryce Drew and Bobby Hurley. They are viewed as having bright futures in the industry. All swell stuff, right? These are signs that the program could reverse its fortunes, compete in the Big East, and even show that it cares!

And, then, well… Dave Leitao.

Apparently, because only DePaul knows, Dave Leitao is (or has) been interviewed to be the head coach for the Blue Demons. You know, roughly a decade after he was the head coach of the Blue Demons. Ten years after he went 58-34 with the school, led it to the NIT twice, and even managed to take the team to the NCAA Tournament… and then left to fail miserably at Virginia.

It isn’t so much that Leitao is a bad coach; retreading him when better replacements are legitimately interested in the gig would serve as cause for alarm. More simply put: Leitao, while not a coaching abomination, is not even close to being the best of the three options stated in this piece. It seems like DePaul is “DePaul-ing” again.

It is probably a money move. Leitao would likely come cheaper than Drew or Hurley. He’s also familiar with the program’s tomfoolery. The athletic department knows if he is willing to take the job, he knows the gig the moment he’s signed. More specifically, he knows that the expectations are low inside the program itself, even if they are much higher from the fan base and the general public.

Could it also be that Drew and Hurley aren’t actually interested, and they are using DePaul as a negotiation chip? Hurley’s is the easier example to explain. Reports have already stated that it was going to be “tough” for DePaul to compete with Buffalo for his services. Yes, let that sink in for a minute. It is going to be tough for a Big East member to compete — financially and otherwise — with a mid-major. Surrrrrre.

This can’t be stated enough: People want DePaul to be good. Their fans are loyal to the point of being admirable, if not showing signs of insanity. Folks who aren’t even invested in the Blue Demons on the level of school alumni are constantly talking about them and wishing them well. Yet DePaul continues down this road of being bluh.

New arena. Chicagoland recruiting talent. People care about the program and would spend money to watch a good product. The seeds of something special exist. This is the program Ray Meyer turned into an annual national title contender in the late 1970s and every early 1980s, after all.

Yet, the current DePaul regime is talking about retreading a relatively ordinary coach.

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DePauling (adj. from the verb “DePaul”) – Like appalling, but in the context of DePaul.

Example in a sentence: DePaul is really going to not attempt to be decent again, isn’t it? That’s DePauling to the senses, and to the many people who cared then, and still care now, about a program capable of greatness.

About Joseph Nardone

Joseph has covered college basketball both (barely) professionally and otherwise for over five years. A Column of Enchantment for Rush The Court on Thursdays and other basketball stuff for The Student Section on other days.

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