DePaul hosted a media day for several Chicago area men’s and women’s basketball programs on Wednesday at the Chicago Sports Museum.
Four schools were in attendance: DePaul, Loyola Chicago, Northwestern and Chicago State. The women’s basketball head coaches formed a panel Q&A, followed by the men’s head coaches. They discussed their new rosters and goals for the upcoming season. Two players from each team acted as representatives.
Men’s basketball transfers Chico Carter Jr. and Jaden Henley were in attendance and said they are looking forward to the season.
“[We have to] change the culture, change the narrative of DePaul basketball and get it back to the top,” Carter, a graduate transfer from the University of South Carolina said.
Henley, one of DePaul’s first major transfers last season from Minnesota, said he and his new teammates already have great synergy.
“I’ve never been on a team with this kind of chemistry before,” Henley said. “It’s like one family.”
Head coach Tony Stubblefield is excited about the addition of the eight new players to the men’s roster.
“I’m really pleased with the progress that guys have been making,” Stubblefield said. “It’s really been a cohesive unit up to this point.”
The women’s basketball team also has eight newcomers. The players that attended the media day were Anaya Peoples and Jorie Allen, graduate students who stayed at DePaul this year. Peoples said the team is ramping up the intensity with their new roster.
“We have a whole new team this year, so it’s exciting,” Peoples said. “We just put in some full court [defense], and we’re looking good.”
Allen is looking forward to her fourth season at DePaul and has made her goals clear.
“I think we have a great chance to make a lot of people excited,” Allen said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’re ready for it.”
Head Coach Doug Bruno took time during the women’s head coaches panel to highlight the historic implications of the DePaul season. Not only did he mention the upcoming season is DePaul’s 50th, but also that it will begin with a road trip to Iowa next weekend for a possible record-breaking exhibition game.
This exhibition will be played in Iowa’s football stadium, which has a 69,000-seat capacity. Iowa is looking to surpass the previous attendance record for a women’s basketball game on October 15.
“We’re really excited about celebrating the fact that women’s basketball has been alive and kicking and doing pretty well at DePaul after 50 years,” Bruno said.
