Entering the final week of the regular season, the DePaul Blue Demons’ seven Big East wins have already matched their cumulative total from the three seasons prior. 

Head coach Chris Holtmann joined DePaul in 2024. The year before his arrival, the team went winless in Big East, and were later found to be embroiled in a gambling scandal.

Two years later, the coach has his squad right in the middle of the Big East’s standings as they look to finish out a regular season that saw renewed energy from fans on campus.

The momentum that Holtmann’s program is building speaks for itself, but through creative tactics from current and former personnel, the Blue Demons have found a way to become closer to the student body than they have been in recent memory.

The day after every home win, for example, Holtmann has provided a free lunch at the Sullivan Athletic Center at DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus for students who present their student ticket from the night before.

Students do not necessarily show up to Wintrust just for the prospect of a free meal the following day, but junior political science major Matt Galligan said, “it’s a nice incentive.”

“If they win, we win,” Galligan said on Feb. 12, the day after the team’s 72-71 win over Creighton. “Feeling that connection to the team itself, being there to witness their successes, it really makes you feel part of the basketball community.”

Galligan remembers the years before Holtmann’ arrival, when the team disappointed on the court and failed to create a bond with the student body.

“It’s a really great thing just to create a culture that we had kind of lost,” Galligan said. “It’s great to get that not only winning culture, but that connection to the student body that I didn’t really feel my freshman year.”

While Galligan felt the connection from his second-row seat in the student section, second-year cheerleader Isabel Hernández noted how much the renewed energy from the stands can be felt from the sidelines. 

“For the cheerleaders, keeping the energy up and keeping the students engaged is new. They’re still in the rebuilding stage, and just showing the appreciation helps,” said Hernández, a sophomore exercise science major. 

Hernández did not experience the pre-Holtmann teams, but she recognizes his efforts to get more students at Wintrust, something that makes her role easier.

“Showing appreciation to the other students who maybe don’t go to all the games, it encourages them to go and it creates a more fun environment for everybody,” Hernández said. “He does a great job trying to get the students involved.”

Holtmann’s next-day lunch offer to attending students has not been the only way the program has been trying to draw attendance. Outside of various handouts for early-comers such as school-branded clothing like commemorative replica jerseys and model versions of NASCAR driver Michael McDowell’s DePaul-branded car, the men’s program received help from former Blue Demon and current Cleveland Cavaliers forward Max Strus to put students in their seats.

Strus, who played at DePaul from 2017 to 2019, pledged to give away 500 free beers to students who made the cold and snowy trek to Wintrust Arena for the team’s battle with Seton Hall on Jan. 24. 

Strus’s donation came a week after the team enjoyed an 80-75 win over Marquette in a game that achieved a new student attendance record. As a “thank you” to students in attendance, Holtmann bought the first round of drinks for DePaul students celebrating the win at Kelly’s Pub in Lincoln Park.

Thanks to Strus, of-age students who made it to the next weekend’s Seton Hall game were able to present their government and student IDs at a stand behind the student section to redeem their free drinks: 16 oz cans of Miller Lite. Seniors Owen Patel and Joe Farrel, who both attended the record-setting game the weekend prior, were quick to take advantage.

“The energy was crazy last week, the stadium was packed,” said Patel, an accounting student, upon grabbing a beverage pre-game. “This is our first beer of many, hopefully.”

Considering the wintery conditions of the weekend, it would have been easy for even the most die-hard of student fans to skip out on the team’s conference game. But the prospect of a free beverage brought out those who would have otherwise not attended. 

“We were not going to come until we saw the free beers,” Farrel said. “Thank you Max, DePaul loves you.”

Roughly five minutes into the game, Strus himself made an appearance on the in-stadium jumbotron, where he shared a personal message with Blue Demons fans while donning his numbered 31 DePaul uniform.

“Continue to support our Blue Demons. I hope those beers are tasting good,” Strus said. “Love you guys.”

Strus also made sure to voice his appreciation for all DePaul alumni, including his former teammates, who have continued to support the men’s basketball program. The game was days after the university-wide Blue Demon Challenge, where the program beat out all other varsity teams with over $620,000 in donations. 

The Blue Demons close out their regular season schedule with a two-game home stand, the first of which is against Villanova on March 4, followed by a battle against Butler on March 7. From there, they will enter the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden, which tips off on March 11. 

Related stories:

• DePaul rolls out retro threads, revives program pride
• Brandon Maclin’s journey to a Blue Demon
• Chris Holtmann addresses point-shaving scheme by former DePaul players