Could it isbe? After years of dormancy, has DePaul basketball finally done enough to command attention for the right reasons?
It’s not just that DePaul hired a coach with a track record of success in the Big East. It’s not just the fact that the Blue Demons went 7-0 in November and now sit at 8-2.
Add in Saturday’s commanding 91-72 win over Wichita State, and DePaul might finally be earning its place in Chicago’s sports spotlight.
Head coach Chris Holtmann understands the stakes in Lincoln Park, and so far, he’s done all the right things at Wintrust Arena. His impact is resonating within the team and throughout the college basketball community.
“We all just really want to win,” DePaul forward NJ Benson said. “I feel like where people see us in our league kind of puts a chip on all of our shoulders. So we want to do the best we can and finish at the top.”
For years, DePaul seemed stuck in a cycle of mediocrity, changing coaches but never changing results. Jerry Wainwright, Dave Leitao’s second stint, Oliver Purnell, and Tony Stubblefield all tried—and failed—to return the Blue Demons to the heights of the Ray and Joey Meyer eras in the 1980s and 1990s.
It’s a sobering reminder that DePaul hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2004. But in December 2024, Holtmann might have assembled a team capable of breaking that streak.
DePaul’s turnaround is built on two things: amnesia and adapting to modern college basketball’s rules of engagement.
Amnesia, because none of the current players were around for the program’s past struggles. Rules of engagement, because Holtmann built his roster and staff using the transfer portal and experienced former head coaches.
While he didn’t land the top-tier transfers, he brought in plenty of seasoned players and veteran coaches. That experience showed Saturday when DePaul, coming off a tough loss to Texas Tech and an overtime heartbreaker to Providence, trailed Wichita State 47-42 at halftime.
The Blue Demons didn’t just rally—they won by 19 points against a KenPom top-100 team.
They’ve also been winning in different ways with different players. Against Providence, David Skogman scored 22 points but didn’t score at all against Wichita State. Jacob Meyer stepped up with 23 points instead.
“I’ve learned that it doesn’t really matter who’s playing,” Benson said. “Coach always says that anybody can play.”
A prime example is Indiana transfer CJ Gunn, who scored 22 points against Wichita State. He came from a Power 4 program, bought into Holtmann’s system, and shed his reputation as a one-dimensional player.
“That’s kind of what was said about him,” Holtmann said. “He’s a talented kid and he’s grown as a player. He’s embraced playing a certain way, and as a result, he’s really been able to help our team.”
Gunn isn’t the only one working to change perceptions. DePaul has been trying to shake its label as Chicago’s forgotten college basketball program for decades.
There have been flashes—an upset of No. 8 Xavier in the 2022-2023 season, a 19-17 finish in 2018-2019, or a quarterfinal appearance in the 2007 NIT—but nothing sustained.
Meanwhile, Chicago-area programs like Northwestern, Loyola, and Illinois have all made multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, earning the city’s interest and excitement.
DePaul isn’t there yet, but for the first time in years, an NCAA Tournament berth feels within reach.
Turnarounds in modern college basketball aren’t unheard of. Iowa State went from two wins in 2021 to 22 in 2022. Wake Forest jumped from six wins to 25 in the same span.
Missouri head coach Dennis Gates, a Chicago native, led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament in his first year, just one season after Cuonzo Martin’s firing. South Carolina’s Lamont Paris went from 11 wins in Year 1 to 26 wins and a tournament berth in Year 2.
But those are Power 4 teams. DePaul still has to prove itself in the Big East to get on the NCAA selection committee’s radar.
Still, you don’t have this kind of conversation without an 8-2 start.
A few marquee wins in Big East play, and DePaul won’t just have your attention. The Blue Demons will demand your curiosity.