Basketball Preview 11/7/16

2016-2017 BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Reloaded

Women’s basketball is primed to win the Big East and take the NCAA tournament by storm.

2 | Basketball Preview. Nov. 7, 2016.

Women: No. 1 Contenders DePaul looks primed to win their fourth straight Big East title, but Creighton looks to rise up as well.

Conference records in parentheses, all conference records are Big East unless otherwise noted. Teams listed in order of preseason coaches’ poll.

DePaul Blue Demons

25-8 (16-2)

DePaul looks to be as strong as last year, led by senior guard Jessica January. They’ll have to replace the graduated Chanise Jenkins and Megan Podkowa, but they seem primed to win regardless.

Creighton Bluejays

17-17 (8-10)

Creighton tied with DePaul on top of the Big East standings in the preseason poll, and for good reason.

They get Marissa Janning back from injury and have one of the most experienced teams in the conference.

Marquette Golden Eagles 14-16 (9-9) It’s been quite a turnaround for the Golden Eagles under third-year head coach Carolyn Kieger. The Golden Eagles return all five starters, including the reigning conference Freshman of the Year.

Villanova Wildcats

19-11 (12-6)

The Wildcats had a tough break at the end of last season when they lost Caroline Coyer to a seasonending injury, but return this year led by sophomore guard Adrianna Hahn.

Georgetown Hoyas

16-13 (9-9)

Natasha Adair saw the Hoyas improve themselves by 12 wins last season and will bring a high-scoring team.

Dionna White and Dorothy Adomako were the No. 2 and No. 3 conference scorers last season.

St. John’s Red Storm

23-9 (11-7)

St. John’s won last year’s Big East tournament but this year will be missing a couple of key pieces to that team. Jade Walker will be the top returning scorer for the Red Storm with 9.3 points last year..

Seton Hall Pirates

23-8 (12-6)

For the second year in a row, Seton Hall will return only one starter in Lubirdia Gordon, but they are bolstered by transfer JaQuan Jackson. They’ve benefitted from transfers heavily in the past.

Butler Bulldogs

10-21 (4-14)

Butler has some rising young players in Tori Schickel and Brittany Ward, but don’t necessarily have enough experienced upperclasswomen around them to put them higher in the poll.

Xavier Musketeers

17-13 (8-10)

The Musketeers return two starters from their season that saw them start off strong in the conference but ultimately stutter toward the end. They have experience, but it might not be enough.

Providence Friars

5-24 (1-17)

New head coach Jim Crowley has a mighty task ahead of him in turning around Providence, and this year looks to be a shaky transition, although the Friars do return four starters.

DePaul Women’s ‘16-17 Schedule Maggie Dixon Classic 11/11/15 vs. Appalachian State 8:00 p.m. CT 11/12/16 vs. TBD 8:00 p.m. CT 11/19/15 vs. Northwestern 7:00 p.m. CT Gulf Coast Showcase 11/25/15 vs. Western Kentucky 12:30 p.m. CT 11/26/15 vs. TBD TBD 11/27/15 vs. TBD TBD 12/01/15 at Connecticut 6:00 p.m. CT 12/05/15 vs. Prairie View A&M 12:00 p.m. CT 12/10/15 vs. Notre Dame 7:00 p.m. CT 12/15/15 at Temple 8:00 p.m. CT 12/18/15 at Loyola 2:00 p.m. CT 12/20/15 vs. Tennessee-Martin 7:00 p.m. CT 12/28/15 at Georgetown 1:00 p.m. CT 12/30/16 at Villanova 6:00 p.m. CT 01/02/16 vs. Providence 8:00 p.m. CT 01/04/16 vs. Creighton 7:00 p.m. CT 01/08/16 at Seton Hall 1:00 p.m. CT 01/10/16 at St. John’s 6:00 p.m. CT 01/13/16 vs. Butler 7:00 p.m. CT 01/15/16 vs. Xavier 2:00 p.m. CT 01/21/16 vs. Marquette 7:00 p.m. CT 01/27/16 at Creighton 7:00 p.m. CT 01/29/16 at Providence 11:00 a.m. CT 02/03/16 vs. St. John’s 7:00 p.m. CT 02/05/16 vs. Seton Hall 2:00 p.m. CT 02/10/16 at Xavier 6:00 p.m. CT 02/12/16 at Butler 12:00 p.m. CT 02/19/16 at Marquette 1:00 p.m. CT 02/24/16 vs. Villanova 7:00 p.m. CT 02/26/16 vs. Georgetown 12:00 p.m. CT

Cover photos by Connor O’Keefe | The DePaulia

Basketball Preview. Nov. 7, 2016. | 3

Head Coach

Women’s Full Court Coverage 2015-16 IN REVIEW

80.9 Doug Bruno 31st season with DePaul 641-323 overall

65.5 46 %

Points per game

Roster

27-9

Opp. points per game

16-2 Big East First place

Field goal percentage

Jessica January

Brooke Schulte

Guard, SR.

Guard, SR.

Ashton Millender

Jacqui Grant

Guard, JR.

Forward, SR.

Amarah Coleman

Tanita Allen

Guard, SO.

Guard, SO.

Meri BennettSwanson

Deja Cage

Forward, JR.

Guard, FR.

Kelly Campbell

Mart’e Grays*

Guard, FR.

Forward, JR.

Claire McMahon

Lauren Prochaska

JOSH LEFF | THE DEPAULIA

Senior guard Brooke Schulte brings the ball down the court in a scrimmage in October.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE 2015-16 ROSTER

Guard, FR.

Guards This will be a guard-heavy team, led by Big East preseason player of the year Jessica January. The senior guard will be the main offensive spark for the Blue Demons this year as a captain.

Senior guard Brooke Schulte is poised to have a bigger role in the offense this season. She started all 36 games last year and averaged 8.6 points per game in 25.9 minutes.

With Chanise Jenkins and Megan Podkowa graduated, Schulte will play a bigger offensive role.

Junior guard Ashton Millender looks to join the starting ranks after averaging 22.5 minutes last year as the first bench option.

Bigs The Blue Demons lost one of their potential starters when Mart’e Grays went down with a seasonending injury in early October.

This means that the Blue Demons will likely need some significant minutes from younger players.

One of those younger players is freshman forward Chante Stonewall. She’ll have to play a large role this year considering she is one of only three forwards who is able to play this season.

Senior forward Jacqui Grant will also likely be a starter after she became the reliable option for the Blue Demons in the paint last season.

Guard, JR.

Bench DePaul does not have a whole lot of forward depth on the bench, which means that junior forward Meri Bennett-Swanson will likely be an option off the bench.

On the guard side, the Blue Demons have plenty of options.

Tanita Allen and Amarah Coleman each have a year at DePaul under their belts and are poised to move up on the depth chart, as well as junior guard Lauren Prochaska.

DePaul also has a few newcomers who can contribute. Kelly Campbell was highly touted coming out of high school and she is joined in the class of 2020 by Deja Cage and Claire McMahon.

Chante Stonewall Megan Waldron Forward, FR.

Guard, SO.

Red name = projected starter *Mart’e Grays is out for the year with an injury

4 | Basketball Preview. Nov. 7, 2016.

Breakout candidate

Ashton Millender becomes a starter

CAROLINE STACEY | THE DEPAULIA

Junior guard Brooke Schulte will likely be a starter for the 2015-16 season, giving her the potential to have a career-high season in DePaul’s high-powered offense.

By Jack Higgins Asst. Sports Editor

Last season, many would have said now-junior guard Ashton Millender was a breakout player for the Blue Demons.

Millender was the go-to sixth woman off the bench and came in to, usually, give thensenior guard Chanise Jenkins time to rest while fulfilling a similar role.

Because of the way she stepped up her sophomore year – doubling her points-pergames average, working for rebounds and steals, and scoring double digits in 13 games – Millender was named DePaul’s most improved player of the 2015-16 season.

However, this year, Millender will have an even tougher task. She will have to share the bulk of the deep looks as the primary deep threat with the loss of junior forward Mart’e Grays. Obviously, DePaul has many other players in their lineup that can go deep – like senior guards Jessica January and Brooke Schulte –, but most are more effective in other roles.

Last season, Ashton Millender was the first sub off the bench and averaged 22.5 minutes a game – the most of any non-starting player on the team. This year she cracked the starting lineup after last year starters Jenkins and Megan Podkowa graduated.

This year, Millender looks to take over Jenkins’ role as the go-to deep man. She will play an important role in DePaul’s sizechallenged offense by stretching opposing defenses by forcing them to cover her outside the line – her most dangerous place

on the court.

Millender also has been working on the defensive side of her game. She usually assists Brooke Schulte up front by trapping the opposing team and forcing jump balls. “(I work on defense) a lot. I’m not that quick, so I try to get better (tactically) and think in front of good players,” Millender told the DePaulia last season.

At the end of last season Millender was ninth in the Big East with a .359 3-point field goal percentage. That percentage also led the team aside from Amarah Coleman’s .385 percentage. However, Coleman only went deep 26 times during the season whereas Millender put up 145 three-point attempts.

“Ashton had a great run down the stretch last year and we just expect her to pick up where she left off last year,” head coach Doug Bruno said. “She’s just a good solid guard.”

So far, in the two exhibition games, Millender’s role has been limited due to a foot injury and because Bruno has been stretching the bench in order to find chemistry between the four incoming freshmen. However, in those two games Millender was able to find three open threes and averaged 8.5 points.

The Blue Demon women will look for a return to form for Millender next weekend in the Maggie Dixon Classic. Last season, Millender beat her freshman season record of 12 points when she scored 14 points against Southern Illinois. She didn’t stop there.

Millender had 13 double-digit games last season as opposed to her one game last season. As a starter, expect Millender to

2015-16 STATS Point per game

7.6

Rebounds per game

2.5

Assists per game

1.1

Steals per game

0.6

Field goal percentage

Minutes per game increase that number to about 20 games this season, especially as the primary deep threat for the Blue Demons.

Another aspect of Millender’s game that should improve this year is her assist per game. Last season, Millender ended the season with an average of 1.1 assists-pergame. Millender needs to increase those numbers to at least three assists per game especially if she is going to take over for

43.2% 22.5 Chanise Jenkins, who had a 4.8 assists per game average during her career with DePaul.

In the exhibition game against St. Francis, Millender had three assists in her 20 minutes of game time. She will have to achieve numbers similar to those in order to be effective in Bruno’s “DePaul Ball” system.

Millender will likely make her first start as a Blue Demon next weekend in the Maggie Dixon Classic.

Basketball Preview. Nov. 7, 2016. | 5

Preseason review DePaul dominates St. Xavier 124-67

By Jack Higgins Asst. Sports Editor

CAROLINE STACEY | THE DEPAULIA

Senior guard Brooke Schulte chases after a ball.

The women’s basketball team came out firing in their first exhibition game of the season against the St. Xavier Cougars.

After senior guard Brooke Schulte’s jump shot scored four seconds into the game, the Blue Demons lead for the entirety of the game.

In the dominant 124-67 win over the Cougars, every single Blue Demon that came into the game made it on the score sheet.

The Blue Demons played their usual high paced game, and soon, fatigue set on the Cougars. Fatigue hindered the play of the Cougars who began to give away balls off of errant passes forced by the early fullcourt press by DePaul The Blue Demons forced 17 turnovers and had 16 steals in the game. Senior guard Jessica January recorded six steals in just 15 minutes of play time in the game. Freshman guard Kelly Campbell, who led the team in minutes played, was aggressive in the paint recording seven offensive rebounds which was a big factor in DePaul’s 28 secondchance points.

January also lead the Blue Demons with 24 points and went 10-12 in the field.

The Cougars managed to put up 39 points before the half, but because of DePaul’s stellar offensive performance, the court still was tilted in the Blue Demon’s favor. The Cougars recorded five points from fast break plays early on in the first two minutes of the game, but were unable

to continue due to the aggressive press of the Blue Demon women.

Coach Doug Bruno liked what he saw from the press, but he admitted the team needed to learn to play without it as well.

“One of the important things about our program is that we not only execute opencourt basketball, but we also execute in the half court,” Bruno said. “So, we’ve still got a long way to go. You know, we’ve worked on it a lot the second half of tonight and you can’t do everything.”

Due to the early lead, Bruno worked the bench early looking for winning combinations. Throughout most of the second half at least four freshmen were on the court, and the Blue Demons tried out senior forward Jacqui Grant with both freshmen forwards Meri Bennett-Swanson and Chante Stonewall. “(The freshmen are) picking stuff up just like any good basketball players do,” January said. “(They’re) getting in the games and seeing the rotations and seeing how things work out. It’s good to see them play.”

In the fourth quarter, the Blue Demons tightened up their defense and only allowed four points, while playing Campbell, Stonewall and freshman guard Claire McMahon for all ten minutes.

The game concluded 124-67 and DePaul’s offense stayed strong, recording 24 points in both the third and fourth quarters.

The Blue Demons open up their regular season against Appalachian State next Friday.

DePaul crushes St. Francis 126-56

By Jack Higgins Asst. Sports Editor

The DePaul women looked for synergy late in the game as they cruised past St. Francis in their second and final exhibition game before the start of the season.

“A reason we play these two exhibition games is that they give us a chance to turn the lights on,” coach Doug Bruno said.

The Blue Demon women turned the lights on for their team and turned the lights out for St. Francis in a convincing 126-56 victory.

“Sam Quigley, (the head coach of St. Francis), is one of the most special guards and captains I’ve ever been blessed to coach,” head coach Doug Bruno said. “Bringing her team in here takes guts and her team’s going to be better for it.”

Early in the game senior forward Jacqui Grant broke the game open with back-to-back threes and giving the Blue Demons a 19-10 lead with less than three minutes left in the first quarter.

“I was really impressed with the way Jacqui (Grant) bounced back,” Bruno said. “I thought when the game started it was a

bit loosey-goosey. She had some hands on basketballs I thought she should’ve secured.

“I put her back in and when she came back in I think she broke the game open for us.”

Senior guard Brooke Schulte was also a big part of DePaul’s early dominance. She carried over her aggressive play on both ends of the court. She forced the first turnover of the game and buried the basket on the other side of the court.

On defense, Schulte and junior guard Ashton Millender effectively trapped opposing players near half court and Schulte forced two jump balls without taking a foul.

“I think it was just all the work we put in over the summer,” said Schulte. “The team all together just becoming assimilated and working hard in the offseason.”

At half the Blue Demons led 59-29.

Freshman guard Kelly Campbell received the most playtime in the game logging 25 minutes and she continued to show she could ball. The guard put up a team-leading 19 points and went four of six from outside the three-point line putting her three-

point field goal percentage at .75 through both exhibition games.

“Kelly Campbell’s a starter in our coaches’ minds eye, I think she’s earned that,” Bruno said. “…

She’ll come off the bench first. If we ever, unfortunately, have to lose anybody, she could step in and start tomorrow and we either stay equal or get better.”

Aside from Campbell, other freshmen like forward Chante Stonewall and guard and forward Claire McMahon looked more comfortable on the court.

Stonewall was seven of nine from the field – a big improvement from her three of 13 Tuesday.

McMahon had a one-hundred percent shooting percentage and showed off her hands by firing passes down low to a wide-open Stonewall Bruno also said the starting lineup for the two exhibition games consisting of senior guard Jessica January, junior guard Amarah Coleman, Grant, Schulte and Millender will likely be the starting lineup for the Maggie Dixon Classic next weekend.

The Blue Demons open up their season next weekend versus Appalachian State at 8 p.m.

CAROLINE STACEY | THE DEPAULIA

Junior guard Amarah Coleman rises up for a shot.

6 | Basketball Preview. Nov. 7, 2016.

House of With few forwards, versatility, rotations and flexibility will be required for both teams

By Ben Gartland Sports Editor

There’s a common thread running between both DePaul basketball teams heading into the 2016-17 season. They both have a dearth of forwards, and the forwards they do have are dealing with injuries – some significant enough to miss a good chunk of the season.

What this common thread means for both teams, however, is that, for better or worse, the guards will have to play a large role — both literally and figuratively – this season.

The injuries Women’s basketball was already going to be small. They had lost their stretch-4 Megan Podkowa to graduation, and forwards Brandi Harvey-Carr and Elri Liebenberg transferred away from the program in the offseason. Neither were projected starters, but the Blue Demons lost a lot of depth with

Page design by Katie Tamosiunas

those two transfers.

The starting lineup, however, looked solid headed into the season. Senior forward Jacqui Grant came off a solid season in her debut with DePaul, averaging 8.6 points and five rebounds per game. She was the starting forward that helped get the Blue Demons to the Sweet Sixteen as she maintained the lane, while Podkowa stretched the perimeter.

Grant was supposed to be joined by junior forward Mart’e Grays. Grays was the first forward option off the bench and averaged 15 minutes per game, alongside 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds.

That strategy changed in October. Grays tore her Achilles and was ruled out for the season. An already small team lost a starter and got even smaller.

Being small, however, is familiar for DePaul.

“Of course it will be different because we’re smaller this year,” junior guard Ashton Millender said. “But we all have to rebound;,we all have to box out for each

other. It does change things but we have to step up and be bigger.”

On the men’s side, it’s a similar situation.

During the offseason, DePaul lost a total of six forwards. Rashuan Stimage and Myke Henry graduated and Tommy Hamilton, Develle Phillips, Oumar Berry and Frederick Scott transferred.

Hamilton was the biggest loss — both literally and figuratively — as the Blue Demons lost a potential starter and an experienced center. These moves also wiped out their forward depth, which meant they needed to supplement with recruiting and transfers.

They did just that. They brought in junior Tre’Darius McCallum on a transfer from Indian Hills Community College and recruited Levi Cook and Al Eichelberger.

They joined walk-on senior Peter Ryckbosch and walk-on junior Joe Hanel as potential contributors.

Over the summer, the Blue Demons’ experience was dealt a blow. Ryckbosch, the

only forward on the 2016-17 roster who had started games for DePaul, broke his kneecap.

He might be out until Big East play starts, which leaves DePaul with no forwards that have Big East starting experience, and the depth have to suddenly be thrust into the starting roles.

The freshmen There are two names that will mark the future of DePaul basketball in the paint: Chante Stonewall and Levi Cook. Stonewall saw the lion’s share of minutes for forwards in both of the women’s exhibition games, although she didn’t start either of them.

Stonewall is a 6-foot-1 freshman out of Normal, Illinois. If the exhibition games are any indication, she’ll see a lot of time at a very early age.

“Chante Stonewall showed you some really bright spots,” women’s basketball head coach Doug Bruno said. “She’s got a shot to be really good as well, she just has got to find the consistency. There’s possessions where there’s freshmen-esque head spinning

Basketball Preview. Nov. 7, 2016. | 7

Guards and there’s possessions where she’s really, really strong. That’s just all about being a freshman.”

In the men’s only exhibition game, Cook wasn’t a starter either. That spot instead went to Hanel. However, he did show a potential to be a starter. In 19 minutes, he pulled down 11 rebounds and put in eight points. His 6-foot-10, 293-pound frame is reminiscent of Tommy Hamilton, and his size fills a big need for the Blue Demons. Men’s basketball head coach Dave Leitao has talked since the beginning of the summer how Cook will need to step up immediately.

“Mentally I think Cook’s ready and his skillset is ready and so now it’s to get him as acclimated to college as quickly as we can so he can gain valuable experience,” Leitao said in May. “So that when it comes fall he’s ready to step on the floor because we expect him and quite honestly need him, to play some good minutes for us.”

That was before Hamilton transferred and before Ryckbosch was injured. It means that Cook’s role will have to be even bigger, but it also means flexibility from the rest of the squad.

The guards “(Bruno) always talks about posts having guard skills and guards being able to post,” junior guard Lauren Prochaska said.

“There’s definitely an emphasis this year on being multi-faceted and being able to play all the positions.”

Both teams have similar philosophies this year: flexibility with the guards and creating advantageous matchups between forwards and guards when there’s no size advantage.

“Most importantly is mixing and matching,” Leitao said. “Positons one through four aren’t really labeled because guys are interchangeable. (Billy Garrett Jr.) and (Eli Cain) have played all four positions and most of the guys have played at least three of them.”

The men do have starting-quality forwards in Cook and McCallum.

McCallum can play multiple positions and can stretch the floor like Myke Henry did.

Cook can stay in the lane and own the midrange shots.

The problem is that they can’t play the whole game. With at least 34 games coming up this season, Leitao said that it’s a necessity for guards to be able to play post roles.

“There’s so few big guys and the ones that we have are new and young,” Leitao said. “It’s teaching on the fly because you don’t have as much experience with whatever sizes you have.”

But that may create advantages

for DePaul if they succeed at creating mismatches.

“They’ve got to learn more things with multiple positions,” he said. “But hopefully they get more freedom because they’ll have some matchup advantages on offense especially.”

The women are being coached with a similar philosophy, and one that Bruno’s teams have had success with in the past.

“It’s definitely sad that (Grays) is down but (Bruno) talks about guards being able to get to the post if that’s the best matchup,” Millender said.

DePaul used a similar philosophy in 2014-15 when they won the Big East regular season and tournament titles with only one starter over six-feet tall. They played quick and with high-pressure. In the exhibition games they’ve shown similar tendencies with four starting guards (Jessica January, Brooke Schulte, Ashton Millender and Amarah Coleman) and an emphasis on pressure.

“We have to stay conditioned to pressure,” Bruno said after DePaul’s 124-67 demolition of St. Xavier. “So you can’t just take it off because you’re up, because we’re stuck seasonably. The reason we do this is because we are trying to compensate for our teams. If we’re not going to be able to go toe

to toe with you at the basket, then we got to make them go toe to toe with us on the floor.”

For the men, they might not play as quickly or with as much pressure, but there will still be an emphasis on making sure the guards can step into the roles where they don’t have the personnel.

“I don’t that I’ll say that we’ll shoot more jump shots,” Leitao said. “But the ball will be in the hands of the guys on the perimeter a lot and our hope is that we can balance ourselves between driving the ball and even posting up. It’s fair to say that a lot of things will happen, as is with most teams, from the guys on the perimeter.”

Those strategies, with this year’s players and opponents, won’t exactly be known until the teams open up their season this week. The women play two games as part of the Maggie Dixon Classic and play at 8 p.m. both Friday and Saturday night. The men host Robert Morris at 6 p.m. at McGrathPhillips Arena on Sunday. None of those games should give either team too much trouble as the Blue Demons open up the 2016-17 basketball season.

But if both teams can have success with their rosters as they are, it certainly won’t be a small feat.

Jack Higgins contributed to this report.

Photos courtesy of DePaul Athletics

8 | Basketball Preview. Nov. 7, 2016.

Preseason review

CAROLINE STACEY | THE DEPAULIA

Senior guard Billy Garrett Jr. guards a Rockhurst point guard during their exhibition game on Friday.

Men dispatch of Rockhurst 79-53

By Ben Gartland Sports Editor

When DePaul men’s basketball met Rockhurst in an exhibition on Friday it wasn’t pretty. The 79-53 win by the Blue Demons saw 45 combined turnovers and 53 combined fouls between the two teams.

No, it wasn’t pretty. However, that won’t matter until next Sunday when the Blue Demons open up their season against Robert Morris.

“I think you’ll get the same story from just about every coach this time of year in that you’re trying to figure things out,” head coach Dave Leitao said. “Playing a lot of guys and mixing and matching and I think, like everybody else, have a long road to get to the point where we trust everything that’s going on.”

Nearly everyone on the active roster featured in this exhibition game. The only exceptions were senior Peter Ryckbosch, who is dealing with a knee injury, ineligible transfers Max Strus and Austin Grandstaff and senior guard Darrick Wood, who was out due to a team matter.

This game was the first look at a team with six newcomers, and two of them saw starting minutes: freshman guard Brandon Cyrus and junior Tre’Darius McCallum, who

transferred to DePaul this offseason.

Senior walk-on forward Joe Hanel also saw a surprising start alongside mainstays senior guard Billy Garrett Jr. and sophomore guard Eli Cain.

Garrett, now entering his fourth season as a starter, said there will be an adjustment period as the newcomers get used to the new level of basketball.

“We got a lot of new guys who haven’t been through the rigors of the Big East and college basketball,” he said. “Just got to show them the way and give them anything they need and help calm these guys down and relax and go out and play basketball.”

The first half was tight as the Blue Demons were slow to start. Garrett was one of the few Blue Demons who could score consistently throughout the game as he finished with 26 points. The DePaul defense and sloppiness of the Rockhurst offense was what kept them in the lead as they held the Hawks without a field goal for the first eight minutes of the half. The Blue Demons led 33-27 at the break.

In the second half, things opened up for the Blue Demons.

They outscored the Hawks 4626 and were able to play better defense. This is when more players were given more time

CAROLINE STACEY | THE DEPAULIA

Senior guard Chris Harrison Docks drives the ball in the lane in the game against Rockhurt. to play, including freshman forward Levi Cook. Cook picked up 11 rebounds in 19 minutes, as well as eight points. Cook is a player that could feature a lot of minutes, but it all depends on how many players Leitao wants to use during the regular season.

“We played ten guys double figure minutes,” he said. “We’ll continue to look at lineup combinations. If it ends up

being that we play that many guys, we’ll probably stretch the floor more and more pressure on the ball defensively and pick up the pace.”

The Blue Demons were able to cruise in the second half to a victory 79-53. Garret and Travis House of Rockhurst both had 26 points to lead the game, while Cyrus chipped in 14 and senior guard RJ Currington had 11.

“It feels great to win but we’ve got some work to do,” Garrett said.

“Definitely from a discipline standpoint, defensively and offensive, I felt like we were a little tight as a team to open up.”

DePaul has one week until the regular season goes live when they host Robert Morris next Sunday at 6 p.m. at McGrath-Phillips Arena.

Basketball Preview. Nov. 7, 2016. | 9

Breakout candidate

Levi Cook steps into big role

By Ben Gartland Sports Editor

Typically, a breakout player isn’t a freshman. Usually it’s an upperclassman who is finally getting their shot to break into the starting lineup and have a career year. It’s because they have their past experience that they can break out into a star from.

Sometimes, however, that opportunity comes earlier.

“There are coaches that don’t like playing a lot of freshman, and I can see why,’ head men’s basketball coach Dave Leitao said. “You can see the lack of experience and how that can cost you. That’s where my patience comes in with (Levi Cook) and just having him know that I know he’s learning and that he’ll have to play through some mistakes instead of watching someone else play and learning that way.”

Freshman forward Levi Cook is The DePaulia’s pick for the men’s basketball breakout player of the year. As a freshman, he is poised to be a starter and pick up a bulk of the big man minutes.

“The biggest adjustment is just realizing what I need to do to help the team,” he said.

“I think my role on this team is different than any other team I’ve been on the past two or three years. I just got to remember that’s my role.”

Cook is 6-foot-10 and 293 pounds. He’s the biggest member of the Blue Demons’ roster this season and comes to DePaul from Glen Daniel, West Virginia. He was a three-star forward coming in according to 247sports.com, and shot up the depth chart after the Blue Demons lost four forwards to transfer.

Then, senior forward Peter Ryckbosch broke his kneecap over the summer, which gave Cook his opportunity to shine.

“He brings a very positive energy,” Leitao said. “He’s got good hands, he’s got pretty good feet, determination. It’s like anybody else, he’s learning.”

Cook has turned to the veteran forwards for advice on adjusting to college ball.

“I feel like I’m adjusting pretty well,” he said. “All of the older guys, especially (Joe Hanel) and (Peter Ryckbosch) help me with the process every day. They’re always talking to me and giving advice. It ain’t not worked yet so I’m going to keep using it.”

Part of that advice has been adjusting to the college level in terms of stamina.

“He’s learning, while at the same point in time, trying to get himself in shape,” Leitao said. “Not necessarily where his weight is but where his stamina is at. He’s carrying a heavy load so as a young guy, understanding the work ethic needed to get yourself in tip top condition is new to him.”

The Blue Demons have five forwards ready to go by opening day: Cook, freshman forward Al Eichelberger, junior shooting forward Tre’Darius McCallum and walkon seniors Joe Hanel and Dave Leitao III. Since there’s not a lot of big options, the Blue Demons have had to mix and match with their guards and forwards.

“The practices have been very physical,” Cook said. “You’ve got guards having to guard bigs at times, they got to do what they’ve got to do to guard them. Me and “Big Al” (Eichelberger) have been battling

CAROLINE STACEY | THE DEPAULIA

Freshman forward Levi Cook had eight points and 11 rebounds in 19 minutes in DePaul’s exhibition against Rockhurst hard every single day. We go hard because we know we’re young and we both know we have to step up.”

Part of what has helped Cook so far is his positive attitude, because it helps him move on when he doesn’t succeed.

“Because he’s got a positive attitude when he has a bad moment, he doesn’t let it linger,” Leitao said. “When he has a bad day he comes back the next day with some positivity. It allows him to fit in and allows the other guys to see what his potential is.”

While the load will be heavy for such a young player, Leitao is confident that Cook and the other freshmen will be able to step up.

“My challenge to them is ‘isn’t that what you ask for? Isn’t that why you go to college,” he said. “So now, here’s the answer.

You’ve got to make the most of it and ramp up everything.”

Cook is ready to ramp it up.

“I’m a basketball player at the end of the day,” Cook said. “Nobody goes to college to play basketball to not play. I’m excited for it.

I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a kid and it’s here now.”

10 | Basketball Preview. Nov. 7, 2016.

DePaul Men’s ‘16-17 Schedule 11/13/16 vs. Robert Morris 6:00 p.m. CT Gavitt Tipoff Games 11/17/16 vs. Rutgers 7:30 p.m. CT 11/20/16 vs. Milwaukee 12:30 p.m. CT 11/23/16 vs. Missouri State 7:00 p.m. CT 11/30/16 vs. Drake 7:30 p.m. CT 12/03/16 at Northwestern TBD 12/06/16 vs. Lamar 8:00 p.m. CT Hoophall Miami Invitational 12/10/16 vs. Temple 10:30 a.m. CT 12/14/16 vs. UIC 7:00 p.m. CT Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic 12/17/16 vs. Chicago State 1:00 p.m. CT 12/19/16 vs. SE Missouri St. 8:00 p.m. CT 12/22/16 vs. Wyoming 7:30 p.m. CT 12/23/16 vs. TBD TBD 12/28/16 at Villanova 5:30 p.m. CT 01/01/17 vs. St. John’s 1:00 p.m. CT 01/07/17 at Seton Hall 11:00 a.m. CT 01/10/17 vs. Providence 8:00 p.m. CT 01/14/17 at Marquette 1:00 p.m. CT 01/16/17 at St. John’s 3:30 p.m. CT 01/21/17 at Butler 1:00 p.m. CT 01/28/17 at Creighton 1:30 p.m. CT 01/31/17 vs. Georgetown 8:00 p.m. CT 02/04/17 vs. Marquette 1:00 p.m. CT 02/08/17 at Xavier 5:30 p.m. CT 02/11/17 vs. Creighton 1:00 p.m. CT 02/13/17 vs. Villanova 8:00 p.m. CT 02/19/17 at Butler 12:30 p.m. CT 02/22/17 at Georgetown 6:00 p.m. CT 02/25/17 vs. Seton Hall 1:00 p.m. CT 02/28/17 at Providence 7:30 p.m. CT 03/04/17 vs. Xavier 1:00 p.m. CT

Men: watch the throne Reigning national champion Villanova is projected to win the conference again, but the throne is always in danger.

Conference records in parentheses, all conference records are Big East unless otherwise noted. Teams listed in order of preseason coaches’ poll.

Villanova Wildcats

For the third straight year, the No. 4 Villanova Wildcats were picked to win the Big East. The Wildcats return three starters from their national championship squad, notably juniors Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins.

Xavier Musketeers

18-14 (9-9)

No. 22 Creighton is looking to take a step up from their 7th place finish last season. They are helped by the return of senior guard Maurice Watson Jr., who is joined in the frontcourt by transfer Marcus Foster.

Georgetown Hoyas

Seton Hall Pirates

Marquette Golden Eagles 20-13 (8-10) A young squad last season means consistency for the Golden Eagles this season as they return four starters, including senior center Luke Fischer and sophomore guard Haanif Cheatham.

St. John’s Red Storm

Providence Friars

23-10 (10-8)

The loss of Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil to the NBA is going to hurt for the Friars. This year, it will have to be junior forward Rodney Bullock and guard Jalen Lindsey leading the way for Providence.

DePaul Blue Demons

25-8 (12-6)

The Hall finished last year strong as they won nine of their last 11 in regular season and won the Big East tournament. They can do the same again as they return four starters.

8-24 (1-17)

Chris Mullin’s first season at St. John’s was more or less a train wreck, but the Red Storm have restocked and their young players look to take steps forward this season.

They’ll still be young, but experienced.

15-18 (7-11)

Georgetown had a disappointing season last year after being picked to finish second, but look to bounce back this year with their strength in the backcourt, led by juniors LJ Peak and Isaac Copeland.

21-10 (10-8)

The Bulldogs are fresh off an NCAA tournament appearance and will have strength in their size. Junior forward Kelan Martin averaged 15.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last year.

27-5 (14-4)

No. 7 Xavier is the strongest contender to Villanova’s crown. Their backcourt will be tough to beat with junior Trevon Bluiett and sophomore Edmond Sumner.

Creighton Bluejays

Butler Bulldogs

29-5 (16-2)

9-22 (3-15)

The Blue Demons saw a roster overhaul in the offseason and have six new players for this season. The big questions are who replaces forward Myke Henry and can Billy Garrett Jr. rebound from a so-so 2015-16.

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Basketball Preview. Nov. 7, 2016. | 11 w

Men's Full Court Coverage Roster

67.5 Billy Garrett

Eli Cain

Guard, SR.

Guard, SO.

Tre’Darius McCallum

Levi Cook

Forward, JR.

Forward, FR.

Chris Harrison Docks

RJ Currington

Guard, GS.

Guard, SR.

Brandon Cyrus

Al Eichelberger

Guard, FR.

Forward, FR.

Devin Gage

Erten Gazi

Guard, FR.

Guard, SO.

Head Coach

2015-16 IN REVIEW

75.0 46 %

Points per game

Opp. points per game

9-22 3-15 Big East Ninth place

Field goal percentage

Dave Leitao Fifth overall season at DePaul.

67-56 record in four seasons.

JOSH LEFF | THE DEPAULIA

Sophomore guard Eli Cain started more games and played more minutes of any freshman last season.

Austin Grandstaff Joe Hanel Guard, SO.

Forward, JR.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE 2016-17 ROSTER

Guards Dave Leitao III

Peter Ryckbosch

Forward, SR.

Forward, SR.

Max Strus

Darrick Wood

Guard, JR.

Guard, SR.

Red name = projected starter Austin Grandstaff and Max Strus are not eligible this season.

Senior Billy Garrett Jr. will be the outlet of the offense going into his final season with the Blue Demons.

He averaged 12.6 points per game last season.

He’ll have support on the wings from sophomore guard Eli Cain, who had a strong debut season last year with 10.3 points per game and 28.3 minutes per game.

Graduate transfer Chris Harrison Docks adds a sharpshooter presence that could see a lot of minutes, depending on what Leitao wants to do with the lineup. He comes to DePaul from Western Kentucky and has one year of eligibility with the Blue Demons.

Bigs The offseason saw four forwards transfer away and two graduate, leaving the Blue Demons with a new mix in the paint. Junior transfer Tre’Darius McCallum is flexible and can be used at any of the forward positions, and may need to be a starter immediately.

Another newcomer who will likely need to take on a lot of minutes is freshman forward Levi Cook. The 6-foot-10, 293 pound center from West Virginia will give the Blue Demons some size in the lane.

Senior Peter Ryckbosch could see a lot of time, but a knee injury will keep him out until winter.

Bench The Blue Demons have a lot of guards on the bench. Senior guard RJ Currington provides expereince, whereas freshman Devin Gage is a highly touted recruit who may earn some minutes.

Freshman guard Brandon Cyrus and freshman forward Al Eichelberger already have a rapport having played in high school on the same team, and could be a force on the floor together.

There isn’t a lot of forward depth with Dave Leitao III and Joe Hanel off the bench, which might mean a lot of guard-heavy formations. Erten Gazi and Darrick Wood can play roles in that regard.

2016-2017 BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Step up Men’s basketball looks to take the next step in their last year at Allstate Arena