I remember attending my first DePaul basketball game my freshman year of college. It was a great game, with the women’s team annihilating the Loyola Ramblers 87-53.

They first played against the Ramblers in 2004 — in their 21 matchups since then, the Blue Demons have only lost to them once.  

The DePaul men’s basketball team, on the other hand, have played against Loyola Chicago six times. Out of those games, they’ve won four games and lost two. 

Now why am I bringing up one of DePaul’s biggest rivals? 

First off, who doesn’t love watching their school beat their hometown rival? Second, everyone is the most hyped up during games against rivals, and I believe we should bring that energy to other games.

I have had many classmates complain about how DePaul’s basketball teams aren’t the greatest — I’ve also been the one who’s complained before. The 2023-24 season was not an ideal season, but the 2024-25 was quite a turning point for both teams. 

It was Chris Holtmann’s first year as head coach of the men’s basketball team, after spending seven seasons leading Ohio State.

The men’s team won four conference games, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but compared to the seasons before, it was more than enough for fans to regenerate their support. During Tony Stubblefield’s three year tenure, the team only won nine conference games — Holtmann is already close to halfway there with only a year at the helm. 

The men’s team has five returning players from last year’s roster. The three most notable ones are NJ Benson, CJ Gunn and Layden Blocker. Ashley Mezewich, The DePaulia’s men’s basketball beat reporter, wrote a profile learning more about their “brotherhood” — as Gunn calls it — and how they hope to bring that energy and leadership to the team.

“We’re all aggressive, we’re all two-way at our position,” Gunn said. “So to always be able to bring that ball pressure and to bring that tenacity on the defensive end, I believe it translates good into our offense.”

The women’s team won eight conference games, which is double from the previous season. 

The team is now led by Jill Pizzotti, who’s been with DePaul since the 2011-12 season. After stepping up as interim head coach last year while Doug Bruno was out with health issues, she was announced as head coach in April. 

I wrote a profile on Pizzotti and learned more about her road before becoming the head coach.

There are two notable returners to the women’s team — redshirt senior Meg Newman and senior Kate Clarke. Peter Jurich, The DePaulia’s women’s basketball beat reporter, wrote a profile focusing on their growing bond as teammates and good friends. 

Why do I care so much about DePaul basketball? 

Basketball has been my favorite sport ever since I experienced Derrick Rose’s buzzer beater against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2015. So, going to a basketball school was a small but important part of what I was looking for when I was applying for colleges.

Basketball is a game that’s unpredictable; a team can come back from a 20-point deficit, the best team in the conference can lose to the worst team in the conference, and so on.

What keeps me cheering on for both DePaul basketball teams is the reassurance from the people building these programs.

As Holtmann said in his introductory press conference as head coach: DePaul “could be a program that could have real sustained success.”

Pizzotti has been with DePaul for more than a decade and knows how to win. She’s helped the Blue Demons secure six Big East conference regular-season titles and five tournament titles within seven seasons. 

Losing can be painful, but there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. New players, new coaches, everyone who’s joined DePaul wants to win and get these programs back into shape.

With Holtmann having a year under his belt and Pizzotti stepping into a role that she has grown comfortable in, we have to stay optimistic for what this year could bring. Last year was a year of testing the waters and learning what worked best and what didn’t.

We release the basketball issue every year so that DePaul students can learn more about the basketball teams and who they are as people. 

While this time of year stresses me out — both being a reporter and watching games as a student — it’s fun to get to know the players and coaches. At the end of the day, we’re all just people trying to do our jobs. 

Let’s hold onto hope and support the Blue Demons!

Related stories:

• Jill Pizzotti’s DePaul squad balances new and old
• Holtmann’s second year with DPU men’s basketball
• Jill Pizzotti’s road to DPU women’s basketball head coach