DePaul Blue Demons
Last Year:
7-24 overall, 1-17 Big East (16th)
Coach:
Oliver Purnell (2nd season, 7-24)
Projected starting five:
G: Jeremiah Kelly, Sr.
G: Brandon Young, So.
F: Cleveland Melvin, So.
F: Tony Freeland, Jr.
C: Krys Faber, Sr.
Important departures:
Jimmy Drew 6.4 ppg. 3.3 rpg, 2.1 apg
Mike Stovall 5.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.2 apg
Devin Hill 5.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.0 apg
Inside the numbers:
80 percent scoring returning
78 percent rebounding returning
Additions:
G: Shane Larking, 6’0”, 170 – MaxPreps #68
G: Charles McKinney, 6’4”, 190 – ESPNU Pos. #51
C: Derrell Robertson, 6’9”, 215 – ESPNU Pos. #56
Schedule:
Toughest nonconference game: 11/24 Minnesota
Toughest in-conference stretch: 1/1 – 1/8 vs. (5) Syracuse, vs. (11) Pittsburgh, at Villanova
Prediction:
15th in BE; 10+ wins
What to expect:
DePaul returns a good and young core of last year’s team that showed flashes of possibly big things to come. Brandon Young and Cleveland Melvin enter their sophomore seasons after gaining quality experience in the freshman seasons, playing the majority of the games for the Blue Demons.
Senior PG Jeremiah Kelly who led the team in minutes played and steals last season will aid Melvin and Young. Krys Faber will be the Blue Demons’ man in the middle and give Oliver Purnell’s team the big body they need. Tony Freeland will round out the starting five after averaging nearly 10 ppg last year.
Purnell is installing his system of full-court pressing that showed it could keep DePaul close against Louisville, West Virginia and Villanova last year, but unfortunately for Blue Demons fans, it looks like it will take a few more years to realize Purnell’s dream of building the success he enjoyed at Clemson.