A resurgent DePaul program brings its heralded recruiting class to the UD Arena on Wednesday night for a 7:30pm contest between the two longtime rivals trying to resurrect themselves and re-emerge onto the national scene of college basketball. Dayton, fresh off an excellent performance against the #3 UC Bearcats, hope to put a cork in Pat Kennedy’s bottle of tricks as the Blue Demons field one of the nation’s youngest but most talented teams.

For fans unaware of DePaul’s strides in the last year, let it be known that this is not the same team that lossed to the Flyers 70-57 at the Rosemont Horizon a season ago. In Pat Kennedy’s second year, he has re-invigorated the once-proud program by signing local talent from the Chicago area that produce some of the best HS talent in the country.

At the heart of DePaul’s new look is 6-6 freshman Quentin Richardson, an athletic specimen who not only has a strong offensive game, but also has a knack for rebounding the basketball like former Flyer Ryan Perryman. Richardson is among the top five in the country in rebounding (11.5rpg) which means as a 6-6 freshman he could end up as the nation’s best incoming player. More impressive is Richardson’s 70 offensive rebounds compared to 45 defensive boards. At 19.2ppg, Richardson also leads the Demons in scoring. He plays much bigger than he is, has a nice jumper, and is quick enough to take players off the dribble.

Another freshman, Bobby Simmons, has shown Pat Kennedy that he too is ready to play against the best competition in the country. Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim once compared Simmons to current Chicago Bull Scottie Pippen. Simmons is nearly the same size as Richardson but is a more natural forward. Even so, Simmons can step out and bury a trey to unsuspecting opponents who fail to guard him beyond the paint.

In the middle of DePaul’s frontcourt is 6-9, 230lb, Lance Williams, the last of the three heralded freshmen. Williams’ best asset may be his sense of his own strengths and weaknesses. He is very effective in the low post, converts a high percentage of field goals (.552%), and hits the glass for a handful of rebounds. Williams isn’t a perimeter player and knows it. Rarely will you see him venture off into the backcourt and attempt something he is incapable of doing.

While he’s not a freshman, JUCO transfer Kerry Hartfield runs the show and directs the offense like a seasoned veteran. Capable of breaking down defenders off the dribble and slicing through full-court presses, Hartfield is a combo guard that can do a little bit of everything. He’s the best three-point shooter on the team and keeps everyone involved in the Blue Demon offense.

Willie Coleman, a 6-1 senior, is one of the few holdovers from last year’s team that makes heavy contributions in 1998-99. Coleman’s strengths are competitiveness and an ability to steal the basketball. He had over 100 steals last year alone. Coleman isn’t as talented as the freshmen, or even Hartfield, but he gives DePaul much-needed experience and leadership among so many new faces.

Off the bench, Pat Kennedy has elected to split the bulk of the remaining minutes between 5-9 Rashon Burno, 6-5 Thomas Cooper, and 6-7 Ayinde Avery.

Burno is a waterbug who likes to push the basketball and create easy scoring chances for the squad, but his main duty is to spell Coleman and Hartfield for short stints.
Cooper, a former starter, now finds his role as a substitute. Cooper is not a major scoring threat but is a good defender and is yet another cog in the DePaul gang-rebounding army.

Avery plays a similar role and has a habit of grabbing timely offensive rebounds but is outclassed offensively by his freshmen frontcourt teammates.

Dayton has every reason to believe they can win this game. If it weren’t for a missed shot or two against UC, the Flyers would have earned the biggest victory since the 1990 MCC Championship. Oliver Purnell has his team very close to being excellent or just competitive. The next few games will determine where the Flyers have their sights set.

Tony Stanley, Cain Doliboa, Mark Ashman, and Edwin Young are capable of leading UD to a much-needed victory. If Coby Turner can somehow manage to get out of his slump, Dayton stands an even better chance. DePaul is very talented and very dangerous, but they are also very young and inexperienced.

Pat Kennedy’s team has been up and down all year. In the season opener, DePaul lost a heartbreaker in the final seconds to nationally-ranked New Mexico at The Pit. A few days later they beat a talented Cal squad, up-ended George Washington, played competitive with Maryland, and almost beat Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse. However, after a strong showing against Kansas, they got waxed by Louisville 90-63. The Blue Demons have not played since the December 19th contest against the Cards. They will either be well-rested or potentially rusty. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.