COMMENTARY: DePaul men’s basketball is a joke, Dave Leitao is the punchline
DePaul head coach Dave Leitao looks down during the Blue Demons’ 79-66 loss to St. John’s on Saturday at Wintrust Arena.
Albert Einstein is famously credited with coining the phrase, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Welcome to the world of DePaul men’s basketball, where the opponents change, the final scoreline is different, but each performance is a replica of the previous game. And without fail, the season ends in a familiar place: the bottom of the Big East.
This season, however, there was real hope that the Blue Demons would escape from the cellar and emerge as a contender for the NCAA Tournament – which they haven’t participated in since 2004. DePaul jumped out to a 12-1 record in their non-conference games, knocking off Texas Tech, Iowa and Minnesota and rose all the way to No. 27 in the AP Poll in late December.
The groundwork was laid by the Blue Demons to make a run for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, and all they needed to do was channel their non-conference success into conference play. The talent was there for DePaul to compete with the best Big East teams — and it still is. The head coach, however, is not in place for the Blue Demons to make any noise in such a deep conference.
We’ve seen enough. Five years of disastrous basketball is enough evidence for DePaul to make another head coaching change. DePaul should not wait until the end of the season to let Leitao go, they should fire him immediately and let an interim coach try to salvage something out of this disappointing season. In the very least, fans deserve to see this team play without him at the helm, holding them back.
Leitao is now overall 61-93 and 17-65 in the Big East, including a 1-10 record in the conference this season, in the nearly five years since he returned to DePaul in 2015. When Athletics Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto decided to bring Leitao back in the spring of 2015, the decision was met with skepticism because the Massachusetts native was far from a hot commodity at the time.
Five years later, that decision has proved to be a colossal error, and the only right decision to make at this point is to fire Leitao right now. When Lenti Ponsetto decided to move on from Oliver Purnell and bring in Leitao, she said the goal was to “win now.”
“We don’t see that as a rebuilding project, but an opportunity to take the next step in the process,” Lenti Ponsetto said in 2015. “Our expectation is to win now. We have talent here that needs to be re-engineered. It was clear to our search committee that Dave Leitao was our No. 1 choice.”
Well, Leitao failed to win immediately, as his team went 5-31 in the Big East in his first two seasons. But that was somewhat understandable considering the talent was not good enough to compete at a high level in the Big East. In 2020, there is no excuse for the Blue Demons to be 1-10 in the conference and still the premier laughingstock of the Big East — and that falls on the shoulders of the highest paid person at the university, Leitao.
Leitao has brought in good and talented players this season to make a push for the NCAA Tournament, with five former four-star recruits – Charlie Moore, Jalen Coleman-Lands, Romeo Weems, Markese Jacobs and DJ Williams – and two potential future NBA players, Weems and Paul Reed, on the roster. But those players can only do so much if their coach is not putting them in a position to succeed on a game-to-game basis.
DePaul’s Big East games have played out similarly this season: compete hard for the first 35 minutes and then crumble when the game gets tight in the final five minutes. But the last two games for the Blue Demons should be the writing on the wall for Lenti Ponsetto to fire Leitao; against Xavier on Feb. 4, DePaul scored a grand total of 16 points in the first half, and then followed that embarrassing performance by choking against an injured Georgetown team on Saturday.
The Hoyas entered the game with their leading scorer Mac McClung out, then they lost their center Omer Yurtseven in the second half and then Jamorko Pickett fouled out. Leitao still found a way to lose that game, as his team once again wilted beneath the pressure. That recurring problem starts in once place: their head coach’s inability to call the right plays in the second half.
If there was ever an award for the best 35-minute team in the country, DePaul would probably emerge as the winner. But if there was an award for the worst final five-minute coach in America, Leitao would run away with it.
Even some of his players have voiced their displeasure with Leitao on Twitter after losses. After a loss to St. John’s on Jan. 4, Reed retweeted multiple tweets that criticized Leitao and called him a bad coach before the junior took down those retweets and issued an apology. Jacobs has also liked several tweets in the past month that have called out Leitao’s coaching. In the Big East, Jacobs has only played in six games and is averaging 6.1 minutes per game.
The issue down the stretch of games becomes the lack of offensive execution from the Blue Demons. According to KenPom, in conference games, DePaul is now last (10th) in the Big East in 3-point percentage (27.7 percent), 10th in turnover rate (19.8 percent), ninth in overall offensive efficiency and eighth in effective field-goal percentage (44.8 percent). The talent is too good for the Blue Demons to struggle this much on offense. Leitao doesn’t seem to have an answer.
DePaul went 7-11 in the Big East last season, finished in last place and lost the first game in the Big East Tournament. That season still provided an opportunity for Leitao to use as momentum for this season.
“To be [7-11] and to be in position to have won some other games was progress, but we don’t feel like we have arrived we still have room to grow and room to get better,” Lenti Ponsetto said in an interview with The DePaulia last year. “It was a really good foundation laid this year for the team moving forward next year.”
The 2018-19 season was capped off with a run to the CBI Championship series, which resulted in a game three loss to South Florida. But after the game, according to a source in the locker room that day, Lenti Ponsetto told the team this was a milestone in program history. If you isolate the history of DePaul men’s basketball to her own tenure as athletics director, sadly, she is right. DePaul men’s basketball has been a joke for almost two decades now and Leitao has only strengthened the punchline.
After the deflating 67-59 loss to Xavier, Leitao was asked if his players are still as focused as they were to begin the season, he responded with “mh-mmm.”
DePaul University, DePaul fans and most importantly, the players, deserve better than a coach who specializes in losing. The Blue Demons have the talent to be successful, they just need to be re-energized with a better head coach.
JeffT • Mar 31, 2020 at 8:59 pm
Dr. E has had time to examine the university and athletics and now must act as a university president and clean house. Fire JLP. The new AD should hire a new MBB Coach! No more excuses (the arena, $, lack of city HS/AAU connections, NCAA investigations, the Wintrust scandal, etc). The WBB program recruits well (without scandal) and wins NCAA Tournament games! Do the right thing and fire JLP and DL!
Gregory Hermes • Mar 27, 2020 at 1:30 pm
The apologists are better fans, more knowledgable.
Get your SHINE BOXES!!! You’re the worst. Mush is probably JLP her bad self. Any other mope who accepts the status quo is an embarrassment and betrays their ignorance. Their is NO WAY they are not related to or beholden to JLP, Leitao or the DePaul administrative state.
Great article, only wish it was more pointed and included Gabe Esteban. But I’m sure if the outrageous Leitao extension prove true, Esteban will begin to get the criticism he’d so obviously deserve.
Funny. Only a Leitao would say that DePaul isn’t a big time program. So typical and something that’s bothered me about Dopey Dave since his first lucky stint. Upon his mind blowing re-hire he said “I didn’t realize what a great opportunity DePaul was or how great Chicago is.” Paraphrasing, but close. Are you effing kidding me? Why would you hire somebody luke that in the first place, never-mind a second? Only DePaul killer Lenti-Ponsetto, non-hoops fan Holtschneider and apathetic board could’ve.
If Esteban truly re-signs Leitao and Lenti-Ponsetto, he’ll have sealed his fate as President of DePaul.
Old demon • Mar 17, 2020 at 1:54 pm
Hard to imagine anyone defending any aspect of the team but it starts with coaching and ends with coaching whether it’s on the recruiting trail on the court. You don’t get five years of no progress. And for those who think progress is winning the preseason then I ask what that gets you except a few fun games to watch. The point of the whole thing is to win in your conference and make the tournament. Progress in year five would be a better than .500 conference record and beating the teams you SHOULD beat in the conference. Nobody is asking that they suddenly become Villanova but how about a year when they look like the historical juggernaut Creighton or at least look competent. Look around and see how many coaches Dave’s age and with no track record of winning are still coaching. NONE! That’s how many. Five years is a full generation of recruits of his making. And then to win one big East game and, worse yet,, accomplish nothing in terms of development of his young players is a disaster. My prediction is reed declares (although maybe not) and we see the usual transfers and another year of garbage. Way to go JLP
Joseph marcucilli • Feb 21, 2020 at 4:27 pm
Despite being an alumnus and fan from Villanova I always rooted for DePaul except when playing Nova.Like many of you I believe you have plenty of talented players.Paul Blair and Charlie Moore I’m always fearful of when we play DePaul..You gave us quite a scare in that overtime game at our place. I don’t understand your non conference success where you defeated some serious teams and your Big East Conference losses. You had a 12-1 record with your current coach and then things started falling apart. I actually hope you win the Big East Tournament to allow you to receive an automatic bid to the big dance. I think if you get there, it will change the mind set of the entire program.I would love to see more competitive games in the Big East with St.Johns and Blue Demons.
NicholasT • Feb 20, 2020 at 9:49 am
The crime scene for the death of DePaul mens basketball has JLP’s fingerprints all over it. It is incredible and unfathomable after repetitive missteps spanning nearly 20 years that the school would continue to employ her. If you look at the power 5 conferences (of which DePaul is not a member but the only stats I could find) there is only 1 AD with a tenure that is longer than hers. She has a tenure nearly 3 times the average duration. A 20 year tenure is under rational circumstances only obtainable by the very best, most successful ADs. What insane anti universe are we living in where JLP has a 20 year run? The joke is that we are debating what the problem is when its right under our nose and it stinks to high heaven.
Ryan Gilroy • Feb 19, 2020 at 10:30 pm
Love u Lawrence, you’re doing great sweetie
Skyeboxer • Feb 19, 2020 at 6:21 pm
Brian Heaphy!
It’s not a three step process. We can debate talent and coaching. We can debate venue. We cannot debate the Demon logo. For F’s sake! This blurry image that I try and associate with my team, my childhood, my idols has got to go! Bring back the Blue Demon!
I agree about Rod. I thought maybe Booth for a minute, but yeah, Rod Strickland and let’s go!
I know Depaul Basketbal and I think, like most, the right coach makes this work. But, seriously, nothing will change unless the icon that was the Depaul Blue Demon gets restored to its proper place. I would pull up an image, but you already see it. This was a stylistic masterpiece. What we have now is a sham.
Mike • Feb 17, 2020 at 1:01 pm
Season ticket holder for the last 5 years and if DL is still there next year, I won’t be. No matter how badly I want DePaul hoops to do well, I can not continue to support an organization hell bent on losing and willing to make every excuse in the book for their poor showing.
I know DL and JLP know the fans hate them. I have seen them stare right at fans that scream at the top of their lungs that they should be fired. I will check back in with DePaul hoops when DL and JLP are gone.
Joe Harrigan and Mush • Feb 16, 2020 at 3:54 pm
Joe Harrigan and Mush,
You both are smoking some really good trees and know very little. Dave and JLP must go.
LTD • Feb 16, 2020 at 10:18 am
Anybody defending this clown of a coach after last night is out of their minds.
Frank • Feb 16, 2020 at 8:47 am
OMG
read JAMES dumb ass comments above!
A COACH DOES STOP A GAME WHEN PLAYERS DRIBBLE UP COURT A CHUCK USELESS 3’s…..IT IS A COSCH THAT DOESN’T USE BUTZ PROPERLY!
When a team has countless 3-4min DROUGHTS!
WTF THE FUCK DOES DL DO….
STAND THERE AND WATCH HIS TEAM FOLD!
James Go back to teaching economics class on campus
Frank • Feb 16, 2020 at 8:39 am
Why is Poinsetto still there?
She’s a joke……and the fact that she rehired this joke of a coach…proves it!
I don’t give a shite about the women’s success….FIRE JLP, LEITAO!!
Cary Moy '93 • Feb 16, 2020 at 1:47 am
Don’t know Leitao’s current contract status. If he’s in the final season of a five-year deal, the university should just be classy and allow him to finish the campaign but let his contract expire. What the DePaul men’s basketball program has had for decades are outstanding athletes who just happen to be terrible basketballers. Thought about continuing to vent my spleen but just remembered that the administrators of the university and athletic department absolutely don’t care what I think. If they really did care, I would already be its athletic director.
Johnny • Feb 15, 2020 at 10:59 pm
Susan Leitao is a stupid broad.
Peter • Feb 15, 2020 at 9:21 pm
After today’s game is can see the tide Turning! Just extend DL 5 more years! Lol jlp is clueless.
Peter Moore • Feb 15, 2020 at 9:14 pm
MY 2 CENTS–They only needed MUCH better strength and conditioning off-season. They were on fire! I saw them dismantle Northwestern at Wintrust.
But, after 13 games they didn’t seem to have the legs or strength to FINISH HARD. They have the talent. NO DOUBT. But, like when Kobe went straight to the NBA–He admitted he wasn’t in the shape he needed to be in to play that many games. This isn’t a high school schedule people. This is shaping up to be one of the toughest conferences in college hoops.They just need to be in PEAK SHAPE & FOCUSED AS A UNIT. FULL STOP.
I really hope Charlie stays and plays with a chip on his shoulder next year and he will be either drafted or will be a great player in Europe, if he bulks up this year and can hit the three in the fourth quarter and overtime when it really counts.
Looking forward to your future success Team. Keep your heads up team. You did some incredible work… “The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That’s real glory. That’s the essence of it.”- Vince Lombardi
Best regards,
Peter Moore
Nick T • Feb 15, 2020 at 9:58 am
“Apparently, you guys don’t understand what it takes to build a program.” – Mush Mush
Mush Mush, as a fan of DePaul since 1978 (When Joe was playing), DePaul was once a giant in college basketball and the program has fallen into complete ruin. thats a fact. You state that the program was rock bottom for the last 10 years. First, its been longer than 10 years and second, how can you possibly support retaining an AD that has consistently failed this once great program? Answer me one question: Who is accountable for this program?
LTD • Feb 14, 2020 at 8:52 am
For the record, I like DL much better than OP but have no confidence he can win in the BE.
LTD • Feb 14, 2020 at 8:50 am
My goodness where to begin….. Wilson chandler? The kid was a top 100 recruit… not exactly a diamond in the rough.
OP lost Larkin, Stimage to injury, Hamilton was an issue in lockerroom, Melvin with the off course issues etc… yet all you did was rip OP. As did I as he’s the coach and should adjust.
DL can’t coach…. you keep talking about recruiting and nobody is denying his ability in that area. Let’s make him an assistant coach and have him recruit. He’s not a good basketball coach. He was ok back in 2004 when 3 point shooting wasn’t so precedent but the game has passed him by.
Mush Mush • Feb 13, 2020 at 5:31 pm
I do not know much about UVA basketball. But I do know that the statement, you made about the state of UVA basketball after DL left is not accurate. What Bennett walked into at UVA is not even remotely close to how difficult the job was for DL at DPU. DL left that team with one NBA player and four top 100 player rated out of HS. Give credit that DL can see talent. He saw in Wilson Chandler and a skinny kid from Orlando in Paul Reed. Coach K was busy looking for McDonald’s All Americans while DL was eyeing on Red Robin 3 star Paul Reed. Who would have thought that Reed will leave us for NBA draft after this season.
The issues that DL is having by not having Devin Gage. Gage, didn’t like his role and left the team to focus on his hand injury. His team needed Gage like the way he played at IOWA. Beep. Beep. Road Runner change of pace. To help give Charlie Moore his needed rest. Who would have thought that Marquise Jacobs would not recovered fully from his knee injury. No fault of his own. A shooter that he was counting on to spell Jalen Coleman Land. Who would have thought the player DL was really counting on was a 4/5 star transfer from STL. Gordon who left the program with personal issues during the summer. He was a bench guy to spell some minutes for Reed and Butz. Now, DL left with three players that he was counting on that didn’t materialized. Before, you say DL is the coach and he should adjust. How difficult it is for a coach to see that majority of the players haven’t even played a full season together. Only Butz/Reed has. All those played in the outcome of about 7 games that had we lead going into final few minutes. In those final minutes, where execution and focus is needed. When you are tired what goes ? attention to details and legs goes so does your jump shots. These are the factors contributed on why we lost those games. DL can give players the blueprints but the players has to execute them. Just think, if we had won few of those games. Would chipmunks come out of their burrows ?
Since DL has an eye for talent, rest assure he will not be left with three scholarship players not earning their room and board. He will make adjustments with his roster. He has to like he did when he picked up Charlie Moore. I’m proud of the way these kids fought almost every game being outmanned. Go Blue Demons !!
I am not related to anyone at DPU or draw a salary, just a fan waiting to get there.
LTD • Feb 13, 2020 at 12:05 pm
In one breath you say it’s a player sport and then in the next you say we use Charlie too much, don’t use Cameron, and don’t press enough. Newsflash… all of those points are 100% on the coaching staff. You see it, I see, dogs see it! However, this coaching staff fails to implement those changes. How do you not see a problem with that?
Remember Pat Kennedy…. he had a talented team after Q left and they would always jump out to 10-15 point leads based on pure talent. As soon as the going got tough and true execution was needed they would fold like a lounge chair and lose by 10-15. Coaches coach the final 10 minutes of a game… that is where they earn their paycheck. What Pat Kennedy and DL have in common is that they are incapable of in game adjustments and they always get out coached when it matters most.
DL did a nice job upping recruiting and making DePaul sort of relevant Again. Now it’s time to bring in a coach to actually take us to a post season.
James • Feb 13, 2020 at 11:14 am
I disagree wholeheartedly with the majority of this commentary piece. Like much of the modern day world banter, it is just rambling to emphasize your opinion being correct.
Basketball is a player executed sport. Coaches do not make shots, execute plays, make passes, etc. You prepare rigorously and put them in the right place to succeed but the subsequent events that unfold are out of your control as a coach.
All that said – reread your emphasis: we have been beating people the majority of the time on the court. As a team. As a a unit; coaches included. I love the press, wish we’d use it more. Love if we’d play deeper. Too much reliance on C-Moore and if he’s off, then what? What happened to Cameron the kiwi from last year? Get him in to force Moore to play more composed and selective or use Coleman-Lands at the point to mix it up.
Got to finish and WIN ball games, that is the point of course but if you are watching the games objectively, it is clear as day that this team is leaps and bounds ahead of last year’s unit, event though they currently find themselves in the doldrums. And they said TOP 10 recruiting class coming in…sun is shining…wintrust will be a packed place soon mark my words people. Gotta win….
BUT, is the year over? Don’t you think these heartbreaking, surely self-induced losses don’t sting badly? If it was YOU in the trenches, it would start to add up and either 1) harden your resolve to finally CLOSE and WIN these games or 2) we whither into irrelevance and a serious end of year assessment should take place.
My prediction is #1. This team has the talent. It has controlled every ball game it’s been in. Now it should be walking into each contest with a MASSIVE chip on their shoulder. Any 6-7 point lead that we usually nurse should be blown open to 15-20 and put the lights out on every team we play here on out. If they run the table and win the next 7, this is a 20-11 DEPAUL team that is 100% in the tournament as an at-large. Even if they finish 5-2 they should be in REAL talk for a spot. And if that fails, you have the BIG EAST tourney which is known to be a dogfight, knickknack paddy whack who wants to go dancing contest!!!
Listen, I am all about winning too and we are RIGHT THERE. Don’t jump ship right now!! Wait and see!!! This has been a crazy roller coaster of a season but ladies and gents it’s only just getting good..
Wahoo73 • Feb 13, 2020 at 7:27 am
My reply is targeted at the defenders of Dave Leiao’s performance, but primarily aimed at comments from MushMush.
I am a tried and true fan of University of Virginia sports, especially basketball. MushMush’s comments about the state of DePaul basketball when Leitao arrived five years ago and the amount of time and effort it takes to rebuild a program were exactly the same thing that could have been said about the state of UVA basketball when Tony Bennett arrived at UVA to replace Leitao. Allow me to recap what Bennett did his first five years after taking over the dumpster fire that Leitao left for him:
2009-10: Five-win improvement. In their first season under Bennett his new team finished the season 15–16 (5–11 in the ACC), an improvement of 5 wins (+50%) versus the prior year under Bennett’s predecessor (former and current DePaul coach Dave Leitao).
2010-11: Personnel losses but continued rise. Despite one star player leaving because of academic struggles and another (Mike Scott) going down with an early-season injury, the Cavaliers started the season with a bang by knocking off No. 13 Minnesota on the road. UVA improved to 7–9 in the ACC and had a winning record overall.
2011–12: Most wins at UVA in 17 years. This season began much like the last had, with unranked Virginia dismantling No. 15 Michigan in the 2011 ACC-Big Ten Challenge. In just Bennett’s third year at Virginia, he led the Cavaliers to 22 wins and an NCAA Tournament berth.
2012–13: Establishing the dominant nucleus. Based on his early successes, Athlon Sports named Bennett one of the four best ACC coaches before the season. The Cavaliers would tally one more win (23) than the previous season, despite losing Mike Scott to the NBA,
2013–14: #1 ACC finish and ACC Championship. Cavaliers won the ACC regular season title, clinching it with a statement 75–56 home win against highly touted ACC newcomer No. 4 Syracuse, a team which had started the season 25–0. It was also their first outright regular season title since 1981. Virginia also won its second-ever ACC Tournament title (their first since 1976), defeating second-seeded No. 7 Duke in the final game, 72–63. The Cavaliers received their third (but first since 1983) No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1995. Bennett was a finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year,[51] as well as runner-up for AP Coach of the Year.
And by now you should know the rest of the story.
The sad truth is that UVA made a huge mistake when it hired Leitao and DePaul made an even bigger mistake when it re-hired Leitao.
Badger Pete • Feb 13, 2020 at 4:51 am
5 years IS enough time. Illinois has turned it around. Look at programs that were never relevant like Penn State and Rutgers. It starts with the AD and ends with the coach. New coach + new arena X 3,000 fans per home game = FAILURE by AD and coach.
How about this: $25 per ticket X 15 games X 3,000 tickets sold = $900,000. That’s less than Leitao’s salary. DePaul must be burning through cash to pay for this dumpster fire that is DePaul basketball.
LTD • Feb 12, 2020 at 10:51 pm
So the people who want DePaul to win, and are still amazingly here caring about this program despite no post season since 2006 are not the true fans? However the people who “support” the program by pretending everything is sunshine and roses and enabling 15 years of losing are the real fans?
Something seems off with that logic.
I can guarantee you that the so called negative fanbase wishes DePaul hadn’t lost 10 of their last 11 games. I’m sure they also wish DL didn’t go from last place in year 1 to last place in year 5.
How can someone not be negative after a 1-10 stretch?
Hey Mush • Feb 12, 2020 at 8:40 pm
Dear Mush, maybe Dave should stick to recruiting and leave the coaching for someone else. you sound like JLP. we all know it takes time, but decades?
“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all-time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.”
Vince Lombardi, American Football
“Most people get excited about games, but I’ve got to be excited about practice, because that’s my classroom.”
Pat Summitt, Basketball
Depaul needs a new coach and a better AD.
2Shots • Feb 12, 2020 at 6:40 pm
DL should be given another 2 years. He’s building relationships within the local HS scene that were truly non existent when he joined. The last 2 coaches put us 100 feet under the ground. I am not saying DL is great but I feel he should be given 2 more years due to the decimation this program was placed into by JLP.
Who will take this job?
Matt T • Feb 12, 2020 at 5:58 pm
Ok, Susan, I’ll coach this team starting now. We will
make the NCAA tournament by winning the Big East tournament.
I’ll even do it for free.
My e-mail is here. Contact me to let me know when I start.
Joe Harrigan • Feb 12, 2020 at 2:26 pm
Thank you Mush V. You obviously know a lot about college basketball and understand it much better than the negative people who have made the negative comments. Like a lot of things in life, it is easy to have an opinion, but it is really hard work to have an informed (with hard-earned facts) opinion. I agree with you Mush, DePaul basketball is trending up in a big way. It takes patience to rebuild a program that was lower than LOW when Coach L took over. It is so hard to recruit when a program is down, but Coach L. actually has done an amazing job and is setting the table for the future very well. Currently #2 recruiting class for 2021. Do any of you negative nellies know what KenPom is? In Coach L.’s recent tenure, our ranking has continued to rise. What are your opinions of the coaches of : Iowa? Texas Tech? Butler? Have any of you negative people gone into MN and BC and won on the road? Taken Villanova to OT in their own house when every ref is kissing Jay Wright’s behind? Wake Up Negative People! You surely have better things to do with your life and us true fans don’t really need you around.
JLPs Friend • Feb 12, 2020 at 1:17 pm
Our AD is so great that she omits all the great accomplishments DePaul men’s basketball has had during her nearly 20 year tenure as leader.
https://depaulbluedemons.com/staff-directory/jean-lenti-ponsetto/5
Mush Mush • Feb 12, 2020 at 12:37 pm
Yeah it’s funny how that works. Coaches are great when things work out and suddenly they’re morons when they lose. Every fan thinks they’re smarter than the coach.
Apparently, you guys don’t understand what it takes to build a program. When DL took over this program, we were buried 6ft under. DL established the pipelines locally with Chicago HS / AAU coaches. DL went toe to toe with the great Tom Izzo for Romeo Weems. How many Big East coaches can out recruit Tom Izzo for a #1 recruit in his home state ? I am frustrated as much as the next JOE ( No pun intended Joe Ponsetto).
Building a program to the next level takes time. Surely, one may argue five years is more than enough. But is it really when we were rock bottom for last 10 years before DL took over ? Our next door NU program Chris Collins, is currently on his 7th year and will get 8th year. One year, won’t hurt our program. There’s more to lose than gain if we just cut the cord now. We have too much going for ourselves recruiting wise. DL currently has a top 10 recruiting class coming in 2021. These things don’t happen over night. If DL is not a good X/O coach, I’m certain they can add an assistant like Mike Dunlap. Who has tons of experience and maybe available this off season.
Just support our team and our players. Kids like Charlie Moore and Romeo Weems had more options than the Chicago Stock options but instead elected to come here. No one likes to lose, not coaches, players, and certainly not our AD.
I am not related to anyone at DePaul or draw a salary. I’m just a fan who would love to see us get there.
Mush V.
John Allen • Feb 12, 2020 at 8:58 am
Susan Leitao, watch the way you write about the school that pays your brother a million dollars per year to constantly lose basketball games. The journalism school and DePaulia newspaper are among the best in the country and this student does not deserve your ill-informed, idiotic, lazy and ignorant criticism. Lawrence, this was a great piece and anyone with a brain agrees with what you are saying. It actually says a lot about how bad Leitao has been that the only people capable of defending him on his horrible record as a head coach are friends and family members.
Joe • Feb 12, 2020 at 12:17 am
Susan LEITAO managed to insult DePaul and defended the shitty coaching by saying “it’s so hard you try it”. Yup, that’s how people keep jobs. By screwing everything up and saying well it’s so hard. Maybe he should go do something easier like coach a high school girls basketball team.
Susan Leitao • Feb 11, 2020 at 9:23 pm
No you are a joke. If were such a good Sports writer why aren’t you at a big time football, basketball school, instead of throwing out worthless insults why don’t you go coach and see how hard it is. The 13 coaches he beat must be a bigger joke since they couldn’t figure out how to beat DePaul !! Let’s see what happens.
Maurice Thompson • Feb 11, 2020 at 9:03 pm
Well they are living up to the slogan playing possessed! I think they can use a exorcism right now.
Brian Heaphy • Feb 11, 2020 at 8:49 pm
Why does the worst free throw shooting team not practice any in pre game warm ups? Why does our coach talk philosophically in huddles versus what they need to execute down the stretch? Why do we continue to force turnovers in crunch times ? Why does the player of the year from MI play as if he has shackles on when the game is on the line ? These and many other questions such as when teams throw a zone at us, how come we don’t groom Jacobs to take advantage? I truly feel bad for the team and all of these close losses. There are no silver bullets on the bench and we need to keep in mind the Big East has 50% of the league in top 25 . I’m a positive guy but as a very long term season ticket holder of more than 25 years and driving 1-1/2 hrs in for each home game this is depressing. I hope and pray the team will find a footing and I’ll keep rooting for them. No answers here but will keep the faith .
Demetrius Ford • Feb 11, 2020 at 7:48 pm
DePaul needs a face lift and this is how it happens.
1. Change the logo to the original Demon on the rim.
2. Bring the swagger back by bringing back the box side jerseys from the early 1980s (They were ranked #1 in the country).
3. Bring in a coach who has Blue Demon/NCAA ties (Rod Strickland).
Barry Schneider • Feb 11, 2020 at 3:01 pm
JLP has ruined a once good basketball program. She she brings in Dave Leitao from Maine, after no NCAA Division 1 team would take a look at him. His offense is a mess, cannot solve simple zone defenses and turnovers are rampant.
Lopez cannot dribble more than twice, Hall looks like a bull in a china shop on offense, and Butz seems to be sleepwalking through half the game.
Someone has to be held responsible for this complete disaster. Perhaps JLP feels a 10% winning percentage is progress!
NickT • Feb 11, 2020 at 12:41 am
Nothing is going to change. Lenti-Ponsetto will retire at 125 as AD. Leitao has a solid 5 years before he’s gone.
JR • Feb 10, 2020 at 10:59 pm
He needs to be held accountable for this season and the previous seasons. There is more talent this year but without a coaching change future talent will not want to play here. The AD is at fault and she needs to worry more about the program than her friend Dave (whom she refers to as family). So many of us were excited this year but once again I find myself not watching DePaul basketball. Please fire Dave and JLP too.
He sucked at Virginia too.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/140258-the-rise-and-fall-of-dave-leitao
Bob Feigenheimer • Feb 10, 2020 at 2:39 pm
Have had season tickets since the mid seventies but have been sitting this year out not worth the trip. Dave is a joke
Tony • Feb 10, 2020 at 2:20 pm
Get rid of JLP and Coach Leitao NOW!!!!! BOTH of them need to be shoved out of the door immediately.
Thomas C • Feb 10, 2020 at 1:15 pm
Nothing will change until the AD does. Peter V nailed it.
Tony • Feb 10, 2020 at 12:07 pm
I cant watch anymore. It truly is insanity, they take lead deep into second half and watch it vanish in 2 minutes or less. It is not the players fault when the team has no set plays for scoring a quick or easy bucket. Leitao’s court side presence is non-existent; no emotion, no interest, no defending players from cheap fouls, and no teaching moments. Fix this team please or we will lose all the talent again.
Joseph Bourelly • Feb 10, 2020 at 10:47 am
Yes, it’s time for him to go right now and promote Tim Anderson.
Peter V • Feb 10, 2020 at 10:01 am
Great article. But you’re missing another key component. The Athletic Director (JLP) who has been at the helm from start to finish during this complete train wreck should be relieved of her duties TODAY and should not be part of any future hiring processes. Dr. Esteban needs to clean house on both the AD and head coach in one consolidated move. We have suffered long enough!