The Curious Case Of The DePaul Coaching Carousel

Here we go again.

DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball coach Jerry Wainwright has had his staff raided ... by his own AD. Earlier in the college hoops off-season, Scott Wainwright (yes, Jerry's son and former staff assisstant) was given his walking papers ... much to the chagrin of Papa Wainwright.

The younger Wainwright was allegedly pushed off the Lincoln Park campus when his pops would not agree to a partial buy-out of the three years remaining on his contract. Now, the rest of his staff is looking for work.

(Aside: Seriously, has there ever been a job in college basketball history where three assistant coaches have gotten the heave-ho and the head coach has gotten to stay?)

Anyway...

Sources told WSCR afternoon host Dan Bernstein DePaul had been trying to push Wainwright and his entire staff out the door in an effort to help lure SIU head coach Chris Lowery away from his alma mater. And when Wainwright declined to resign and accept the partial buy-out, heads started to roll.

In December, Lindsey Willhite of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald, basically gauged Lowery's interest in the gig. C-Lo's response: Deserving of a block quote.

The biggest thing for me is, I want to win. That's No. 1. The only way I would leave Southern is if I thought I could go and win somewhere. I make great money. So I don't have to take a job where I feel is going to be detrimental to my career. I don't think I'm going to go anywhere that's detrimental to winning. And that's the thing: I've always been a part of winning, from high school to college to assistant (coach). Every step of the way, I've had some success. At this point, I don't need to go anywhere just for money.

In my chats with Lowery, I've learned that he likes the city of Chicago. (Most of those chats revolve around: "Hey Coach, get some Chicago games on the schedule so I can see the team once I graduates. Always my favorite ice-breaker w/C-Lo ... I digress.) He likes the city's recruits. He likes the exposure that could come from the media there. He likes Harold's Chicken (yeah, he told me that ... long story for another day). But DePaul seems like a job (right now) that could be detrimental to his career. Nothing says "detrimental to my career" like going to a school that was winless in the Big East.

Suprisingly, this is the last Lowery's name will be mentioned in this post (kind of).

Because if DePaul can't have C-Lo, it seems as if it will settle for assistant Lance Irvin, who coached under Joey Meyer in one of his many previous stops. As the Blue Demons attempt to rebuild the mess created by Wainwright (technically started by Dave Leitao but dates back to the Pat Kennedy days), Irvin is the "perfect" candidate because of his family ties to the very talented Mac Irvin Fire AAU team ran by his pappy.

At this point, Irvin should weigh his options carefully. If he returns to DePaul, it will likely be only for one year ... and likely will not land any of the Mac Irvin crew because he'll be added so late in the process. (Kind of why SIU doesn't have any Fire recruits right now. Most of those kids have already committed elsewhere.)

One year of bad Blue Demon basketball probably isn't worth the nearly six-hour trip up I-57.

Meanwhile, I can't help but wonder if Lowery is getting agitated by the situation. One of Lowery's top recruiting principles is bringing kids in who want to be Salukis. If an assistant (a highly regarded one at that) doesn't follow the same mantra, isn't that self-defeating ... or hypocritical?

Having dealt with Coach Irvin this season, I know the following:

• He's a great quote.
• In practice, he participates like he's a 20something.
• The kids love him.
• Coach Lowery loves him.
  

But if he goes, he goes. Remember when SIU had three different head coaches in three years ... and each of them won the Valley and the Valley's Coach of the Year award? If Saluki Nation can overcome that, it can overcome the loss of an assistant who had only one year worth of ties to the program.

God (finally!) saved the Blue Demons

The DePaul Blue Demons did in one game what the SIU men's basketball team couldn't do in two.

Win at Madison Square Garden.

After a 23-loss regular seasonwhich featured a Detroit Lions-esque 0-18 record in Big East Conference games, the DePaul Blue Demons, my mother's alma mater, beat Cincinnati in the first round of the Big East tourney, 67-57.

ESPN, which loves The Garden more than I do, confirmed the victory.

As for my beloved Salukis, the fact that there will be no postseason play for the first time in seven years still stings. A lot. Knowing my luck, SIU wins 20-plus games and makes an Elite 8 run next year.

Wonder what happens first: Southern getting out of the quarterfinal round of the MVC Tourney or DePaul getting out of the quarterfinal round of the Big East.

At least the Blue Demons have a little bit of a head start.

God, Save the Blue Demons (Part II)

Wake up, Jerry!

If there's a sadder Illinois college basketball story than what has happened at Southern Illinois, it is what is happening at DePaul.

It's a sad time to be a college hoops fan in my household, that's for sure.

The Blue Demons got blown out again (this time by No. 5 Louisville) and are still winless in Big East play. How much is the little school under the "L" tracks getting from the Big East? I hope it's enough to endure getting your face dong slapped by the Thabeets, Johnny Flynns and Greg Monroes of the world.

I think Devendorf actually slapped the Blue Demons' mascot's girlfriend. Shame on him.

Dar Tucker had 17 points and a nice dunk tonight. He did the same thing against Louisville in a blow out loss last season.

It's why I've come to the conclusion being absolutely hammered by Rick Pitino's Cardinals brings the best out of Dar Tucker.

God, Save The Blue Demons

Asking The Almighty Power to save a team called the "Blue Demons" sounds blasphemous, but it's OK because there is a point to this blog.

See, my mother is a DePaul alumna and she loves her Blue Demons. And at 8-13 overall and 0-8 in Big East play, it's safe to say that they stink.

Anyway, Ma goes back to the day's of the little arena under the 'L' tracks and Demon Dogs -- which was the best hot dog joint in the city before the Chicago Transit Authority bought them out as they rebuilt the Fullerton 'L' stop that is in the heart of DePaul's campus.

So as a child, I was a Blue Demons fan. I'll admit it. I'll take you back to the days when Pat Kennedy somehow brought in Chicago high school stars Quentin Richardson, Bobby Simmons and Lance Williams to form a formidable Conference USA squad.

That squad was among the nation's best, but, as a wise man once told me, the money ran out and Richardson and Simmons skipped town for the greener pastures of the NBA. I'm still convinced to this day that Williams is sitting at a McDonald's somewhere in the Chicagoland area asleep in a Playland ball-pit after downing a dozen double cheeseburgers.

I digress.

The real fall of DePaul begins when Imari Sawyer got a scholarship over Dwyane Wade. You might have heard of him.

If not, let's run down his career, briefly.

Wade went to Marquette and took Tom Crean and the Golden Eagles to a Final Four. Then he went to the NBA's Miami Heat and won an NBA title. A few years later he would go on to become an Olympic Gold medalist.

Sawyer is either starring in a rec league somewhere or sharpening his NBA Live skills at his buddy's house.

Dave Leiato tried to save the Demons as he took them to the NCAA Tournament and brought them a few extra dollars once they moved into the Big East.

And really, that's when a slump turned into an immdediate downward spiral.

After convincing DePaul fans and administrators he was there for the long haul (or at least until mentor Jim Calhoun left UConn), Leiato headed east to coach the college hoops juggernaut known as the University of Virginia. Enter stage left Jerry Wainwright and cue the Big East blues.

DePaul's bigs can't hang with the beasts (or benchwarmers, for that matter) of the UConn's and Pitt's of the world. Their guards can't keep up with Rick Pitino's Louisville super-studs or Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone.

So how can God save the Demons.

By reclaiming its dominance in Chicagoland recruiting.

Seriously, how do you let Derrick Rose head to Memphis? I know Coach Cal of the Tigers is a charming fellow, but when you've got a talent like D-Rose in your city limits, you handcuff him to a post until he signs with your team.

Do you think DePaul could find a use for Chicago's own Osiris Eldridge or H-F's Kevin Dillard?

Just saying.

After Coach K, Bruce Weber, Chris Lowery and Tom Crean (once he gets settled in Indiana) finish claiming the city's top prospects, what kind of Chicago recruits are going to be left for Wainwright?

Here are my suggestions on improving DePaul hoops (only to build a family rivalry between my Dawgs and my mom's Demons):

1. Use Lincoln Park trixies as a recruiting tool.
2. In addition to their b-ball scholarship, free use of CTA transportation.
3. Bring back Demon Dogs.
4. Turn back time, never tear down Alumni Hall. Play in front of 5,300 loud and crazy fans.
   
5. Move out of the Big East.

That's all I got.

And before you even ask, no, you can't have C-Lo!