Retaining senior forward NJ Benson, junior guard Layden Blocker and senior guard CJ Gunn was not enough for the DePaul Blue Demons this season. 

“Those three guys also need a group to help them,” head coach Chris Holtmann said. 

To rally around the three returners, the Blue Demons brought in 11 new players and retained redshirt freshman guard Nate Kasher and sophomore forward Théo Pierre-Justin. 

In recent years, DePaul men’s basketball has struggled to regain footing in the Big East. The Blue Demons have finished last in the conference for five straight seasons and haven’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2004. 

Holtmann was brought in before last season to not only change the narrative, but the program’s culture. 

Last season ended in similar fashion for DePaul — they finished with a 4-16 conference record. Going on to the Big East Tournament in New York City, the Blue Demons defeated No. 7 Georgetown — who they went undefeated against in conference play — in the first round 71-67. 

During the quarterfinals, DePaul lost to No. 2 Creighton in double overtime, 85-81. 

This season marks Holtmann’s first full offseason leading the Blue Demons after taking over the program in March 2024. The Blue Demons not only recruited domestically but also landed international talent in Ilija Milijašević, Khaman Maker, Amsal Delalić and Fabián Flores. 

“When I got the job here last year, I said it made sense for us to recruit internationally in Chicago,” Holtmann said. “The city really fits that approach. The market was much more competitive than I expected, which presented some challenges, but I feel good about the players we’ve added.”

Holtmann and his staff looked to the transfer portal and landed seven transfers.

Brandon Maclin, a senior guard, transferred from Radford, where he averaged 10 points per game. Holtmann said it’s clear he will have an impact on the court. 

“He’s a worker, he’s a great communicator,” Holtmann said. “He cares about the team, all the qualities you look for in a leader.”

Holtmann said that Benson, Blocker and Gunn need to “grow as players” and have a positive influence on the team in tough situations — an objective he thinks Maclin will help with.

Maclin got his first start as a Blue Demon against Loyola Chicago alongside Benson, Blocker, Gunn and Kaleb Banks. 

Banks, a senior forward, transferred from Tulane and started in 32 games. He averaged 14.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. When he suited up for the Blue Demons against Loyola, he went 4-7 with two assists and six rebounds. 

RJ Smith, a redshirt junior guard, transferred from Colorado. He shot 38.6% from three and averaged 6.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in the Big XII Conference.  

Maker, a sophomore center, transferred from St. John’s — one of DePaul’s Big East rivals — where he only played in one game. In his first game for DePaul, he scored three points, grabbed three rebounds and had one block. 

Jeremy Lorenz, a junior forward, played his first two seasons at Wofford. In his sophomore year, he started 12 games and played in each of the 35 games. He averaged eight points and led the team in blocks with 24. He also led the team in blocks his freshman year with 23. 

Even though Delalić is from Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, he played his freshman year at Pitt. He shot 35.3% from behind the arc and 46.2% from the field. Delalić will miss this season due to a torn ACL.

Milijašević and Flores both played international basketball before committing to DePaul. 

Milijašević, a junior guard, played in the Adriatic League in Serbia for Mega Superbet and shot 45% from three. He played for the Serbian National Team in the 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket event and averaged 12.4 points per game. 

Flores, a freshman center, played for UCAM Murcia. In the FIBA U20 EuroBasket this year, he averaged 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He will sit out this season as an academic redshirt. 

In addition to Flores, the Blue Demons added freshmen Jonas Johnson, Kruz McClure and Isaiah Medina. 

“Our challenge this year, more than anything, is to be the most efficient offensive team we can be as a group,” Holtmann said. “We lacked some of that last year, so we need to grow in our offensive and defensive efficiency.”

The Blue Demons played — and won — two exhibition games against Loyola Chicago and Notre Dame. Their nonconference schedule kicks off with a matchup against Chicago State on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. at Wintrust Arena. The Blue Demons also play Northwestern for their nonconference schedule. 

DePaul will also head to Destin, Florida, for the Emerald Coast Classic with Drake, LSU and Georgia Tech.

Conference play begins on Dec. 16 against St. John’s. The Big East home opener is against UConn on Dec. 21. 

Holtmann’s message to the DePaul community this season about fan turnout is that their “play has to speak for itself.”

“We’re really excited to kind of build off the competitiveness of last year’s group and how we finished,” Holtmann said. “But we know we got a lot of work ahead of us.”

Related stories:

• DPU men’s basketball exhibition against Loyola Chicago
• Benson, Blocker and Gunn: “a brotherhood”
• Jill Pizzotti’s DePaul squad balances new and old