
Early Update on DePaul's Coaching Search
When new DePaul Athletic Director DeWayne Peevy arrived to Lincoln Park in August, he told everyone involved to "dream big dreams." He did not want the Athletic Department to be thinking small, but instead to take bigger swings and get creative to make each sports program better.
He has not been shy about stating the importance of the men's basketball program to the Athletic Department and the University. Peevy knows the history well; a storied program under Ray Meyer who has not found the right leader to get them back to a consistent, winning level.
Part of dreaming big also involved an increase in investment into key programs. Peevy led a $1 million dollar fundraising blitz last year, and has said that DePaul won't miss out on investing in 'talent.' Right now, that means an investment in the basketball program.
One day after Dave Leitao parted ways from DePaul, the Athletic Department has already started their search for his replacement. Since fans have been told to 'dream big dreams,' there have been rumors that link many coaches to the opening with the Demons.
It's unknown the exact criteria, but it seems that nothing will limit DePaul from bringing in the best coach for the job. Here are some of the names (alphabetically) that are often rumored in connection with DePaul:
- John Beilein, former Michigan Head Coach. Not coaching in 2020, working as an analyst for the Big Ten Network. He is well respected, after building a top program at Michigan that included two Final Four appearances. At 68 years old, it's unknown if he plans on returning to coaching. That hasn't stopped his name from being connected to many of the top openings in college basketball this cycle.
- Dennis Gates, Cleveland State Head Coach. After leading the Vikings to the NCAA tournament, Gates has become a hot name attached to many open jobs this year. A Chicagoan, he attended Whitney Young High School at the same time as DePaul and NBA player Quentin Richardson. He was an ace recruiter for numerous Power 5 schools, including Florida State. A rising name in coaching circles, he could be a strong, young hire for DePaul.
- Bobby Hurley, Arizona State Head Coach. Hurley was originally tied to DePaul back when Leitao was brought back six years ago. He has proven to be a strong recruiter and has led two different programs to the NCAA Tournament (Arizona State and Buffalo). He did, however, recently lose his lead assistant (and DePaul alum) Rashon Burno to Northern Illinois. Burno took the Head job in DeKalb, leaving questions about Hurley’s connection to the Chicagoland area. It’s been reported that he could leave Arizona State, but it’s not know if he would join the Big East to potentially coach against his brother Dan at UConn.
- That Matta, former Ohio State Head Coach. Matta's name has been tied to many openings in the Big Ten and programs in the Midwest in the last two years. His 439 wins in 17 seasons includes strong stops at Butler, Xavier and Ohio State. It's unknown if he has interest in returning to coaching at this time.
- Archie Miller, recently fired from Indiana as Head Coach. While Miller struggled during his time with the Hoosiers; he was a top coach at the mid-major level when he led Dayton to the Elite Eight. Miller is still young and has proven to be a strong recruiter. Although four years at Indiana yielded no tournament appearances, he’s still just 42 years old and could be looking for a spot to prove he can still build a winning program.
- Porter Moser, Loyola Chicago Head Coach. Moser led the Ramblers back to the NCAA tournament this past season. He first caught national attention when he led Loyola to the Final Four in 2018. He has been a Head Coach for 17 seasons and has developed a strong reputation as an X’s and O’s coach. If he’s looking to move on from Loyola, DePaul would be a step up in competition. It would also bring increased expectations, while keeping him in Chicago.
Two other names to consider are top assistants with ties to DeWayne Peevy: Current Knicks Assistant Coach Kenny Payne and Kentucky Assistant Joel Justus. Payne was a strong recruiter for Coach Calipari at UK, while also being considered one of the stronger player development coaches in the country. He’s now in the NBA and it’s not known if he wants to return to college. He has been interviewed previously for Head Coach positions, including at Mississippi State.
Justus has been an assistant at UK for the last five years and he’ll soon be ready to move on to head coaching duties. Under Calipari, he no doubt learned what it takes to recruit and win at the high-major level.
Those are just some of the names that are often tied to the opening at DePaul. This is not a complete list, as it’s expected Peevy is leading a national search and is feeling the pressure as this will be his first Head Coach hired while leading DePaul athletics.