For the first time since 1988, the DePaul women’s basketball team will prepare for the upcoming season without head coach Doug Bruno.
On Oct. 7, the university confirmed Bruno experienced an undisclosed medical incident in September. Entering his 39th season, Bruno will recover at home, and though there is no timetable for his return, the university said he intends to resume regular activities as soon as he is physically able. Associate Head Coach Jill Pizzotti will step into Bruno’s role until his return.
“We’ve heard from Coach Bruno,” graduate forward Jorie Allen said. “He’s just recovering, you know? The man hasn’t taken a day off in probably 35 years … He needs some time to just get healthy and get prepared for our season.”
Allen, entering her fifth season at DePaul, said not much will be different this offseason, even with the temporary shift in leadership.
“Usually, when a head coach is away, you kind of have a little bit of a lapse in the program, but that’s just not been us,” Allen said. “Coach Jill (Pizzotti) has been holding it down … Coach Jill knows Bruno so well; if Bruno were here every day right now, we’d be doing the exact same thing.”
What is known as “Bruno ball” around the college basketball world continues to be a major focus for the team, which tends to prioritize defensive pressure and forced turnovers. Pizzotti, who has been the associate head coach since 2017, continues to push this philosophy forward in Bruno’s absence.
“We’re working to just be a great defensive basketball team, and we’re putting a lot of emphasis on the defensive end of the floor,” Pizzotti said. “We’re bringing a lot of energy to practice, we’re setting the expectation high in regards to effort and execution, and then we just have to get better at it every day.”
Though DePaul has six freshmen and two junior transfers that did not expect a different head coach to take them through training camp, Pizzotti has been known to be the primary recruiter of new players and has a coaching philosophy they can get behind.
“I haven’t been here for very long, but since I’ve been here, Coach Jill … has made getting stops a very big part of our game,” freshman guard Natiah Nelson said. “And getting stops leads into transition offense, knocking down shots, attacking the hoop, everything that we’re supposed to do.”
The team hopes the five-time Big East champion head coach that has been the face of DePaul basketball since the 20th century will return with another winning season in mind.
“We miss him, but we know he’s gonna come back better than ever, and we’re gonna be ready when he gets here,” Allen said.
Related stories:
- Doug Bruno completes 50 years of coaching and is ready for more
- Anaya Peoples and Jorie Allen: Leadership duo for DePaul basketball building a culture of love
- Caitlin Clark and WNBA may teach NBA counterparts the benefits of a shorter season
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