2023-24 BASKETBALL PREVIEW
LOOKING BACK ON 50 SEASONS OF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL See page 4
Welcome to the Hoops Issue
Wintrust Attendance
The State of the Program
Page 2
Page 5
Page 8 SOFY MYERS | THE DEPAULIA
DePaul’s women’s basketball team huddles, Oct. 29, 2023, during an exhibition game against Lewis University, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill.
2 | Basketball Preview. The DePaulia. Nov. 6, 2023
2023-24 BASKETBALL PREVIEW
The DePaulia is the official student-run newspaper of DePaul University and may not necessarily reflect the views of college administrators, faculty or staff. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Nadia Carolina Hernandez eic@depauliaonline.com ONLINE MANAGING | Samantha Moilanen online@depauliaonline.com PRINT MANAGING | Lilly Keller managing@depauliaonline.com NEWS EDITOR | Lucia Preziosi news@depauliaonline.com ASST. NEWS EDITOR | Rose O’Keeffe news@depauliaonline.com OPINIONS EDITOR | Carly Witt opinion@depauliaonline.com FOCUS EDITOR | Una Cleary focus@depauliaonline.com ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | Claire Tweedie artslife@depauliaonline.com ASST. ARTS & LIFE EDITOR | Sam Mroz artslife@depauliaonline.com SPORTS EDITOR | Ryan Hinske sports@depauliaonline.com ART EDITOR | Maya Oclassen art@depauliaonline.com DESIGN EDITOR | Jake Cox design@depauliaonline.com MULTIMEDIA EDITOR | Quentin Blais multimedia@depauliaonline.com ASST. MULTIMEDIA EDITOR | Jonah Weber multimedia@depauliaonline.com PHOTO EDITOR | Kit Wiberg photo@depauliaonline.com ASST. PHOTO EDITOR | Erin Henze photo@depauliaonline.com COPY EDITOR | Amber Corkey copydesk@depauliaonline.com
Letter from the Editor:
DePaul basketball needs momentum BY RYAN HINSKE Sports Editor
ports bring people together. In 2016, I fell in love with sports when the 372,000-resident city of Cleveland filled with 1.3 million people to celebrate their Cleveland Cavaliers when they won the NBA championship. It was the first time since the 1960s that any of the city’s major teams won a championship and the impact on the city economically, socially and influentially was unmatched. Possibly more than anything, sports are about empowering communities. DePaul has struggled with building a culture of community around its athletics programs. The teams aren’t what they used to be and students don’t seem to care, unlike other schools in a Big East conference that lives and breathes basketball. Name, image and likeness (NIL) may be a new way to bridge the gap, as athletes are now able to market their brand to their fellow students and members of the community, but this has not been overtly successful across the Big East, as bigger
schools like Michigan and Purdue bring in more eyeballs and sponsorship revenue, which attract athletes. The selling point to potential Big East athletes is culture, and DePaul is behind. Director of Athletics and Vice President DeWayne Peevy expressed his views on improving the culture around athletics. He told me in September his main goal is getting high-level athletes to choose DePaul. Peevy’s strategies include connecting with alumni, especially in the Lincoln Park community, improving facilities and increasing attendance at Wintrust Arena. A common denominator for achieving these goals is public support, and Peevy continues to invest in this. He is trying to dispel misconceptions about the role of athletics in DePaul’s success, asserting that the $60 million athletics facility in the works is the investment needed to accelerate profits coming from the department. There is undoubtedly potential: A state-of-the-art basketball arena, DePaul’s historical success in basketball, the university’s number of students enrolled compared to
other Big East schools and Chicago’s reputation as a thriving sports community. In addition, DePaul’s student media provides space to celebrate the program’s wins and holds it to account when things don’t go as planned, as seen in The DePaulia’s basketball issues dating back to the 1970s. After Cleveland won their championship in 2016, all I asked for during the holidays was a new Cavaliers jersey or poster for my bedroom or a trip to the city itself. When you get your fans to support your sports program, good things will happen. The only thing worse than a losing culture is an indifferent one. The DePaulia’s Basketball Issue details new initiatives at Wintrust Arena aimed at attendance boosts, what happened in the offseason with both teams, features for several new players and a comprehensive history of the women’s basketball program as they enter their 50th season. It is up to these teams to prove to DePaul’s stakeholders that the Blue Demons are worth fighting for.
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR | Vanessa Lopez social@depauliaonline.com COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EDITOR | Ruchi Nawathe community@depauliaonline.com ADVISER | Martha Irvine mirvine5@depaul.edu
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DePaulia’s first basketball preview, 1975-76 season
DePaulia’s 1980-81 season basketball preview
DePaulia’s 1989-90 season basketball preview
DePaulia’s 2004-05 season basketball preview THE DEPAULIA | DEPAUL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
MAYA OCLASSEN | THE DEPAULIA
Basketball Preview. The DePaulia. Nov. 6, 2023 | 3
Roster & 2022-23 season recap
WOMEN BLUE DEMONS
0
2
3
Katlyn Gilbert
Grace Carstensen
Charlece Ohiaeri Brynn Masikewich
12
13
20
22
23
Jade Edwards
Maeve McErlane
Shakara McCline
Anaya Peoples
Michelle Sidor
GR. | GUARD | 5-10
GR. | GUARD | 5-9
33
FR. | GUARD | 5-11
SO. | GUARD | 5-10
5
FR. | GUARD/ FWRD | 6-0
10
GR. | FWRD | 6-3
FR. | GUARD | 5-6
GR. | GUARD | 5-11
11
Haley Walker
R-FR. | GUARD | 5-8
Sumer Lee FR. | GUARD | 5-8
25
GR. | GUARD | 5-9
Kate Clarke
SO. | GUARD | 6-1
HEADSHOTS COURTESY OF DEPAUL ATHLETICS
Jorie Allen
LAST SEASON’S TEAM AVERAGES
GR. | FWRD | 6-1
LAST Conference SEASON’S RANKING (Overall) Overall win percent
18-2 (31-6)
0.838
17-3 (30-7)
0.811
15-5 (22-9)
0.71
13-7 (23-9)
0.719
13-7 (21-11)
0.656
10-10 (19-15) 0.559 8-12 (16-17)
0.485
6-14 (14-17)
0.452
6-14 (11-19)
0.367
4-16 (13-19)
0.406
0-20 (7-23)
0.233
Field Goal Percentage
Opp. Points Per Game
Points Per Game
41.8%
72.3
76.6
THIS SEASON’S SCHEDULE ALL TIMES IN CT DATE
TIME
LOCATION
OPPONENT
November 6, 2023 November 9, 2023 November 12, 2023 November 18, 2023 November 19, 2023 November 20, 2023 November 26, 2023 November 30, 2023 December 5, 2023 December 8, 2023 December 13, 2023 December 17, 2023 December 20, 2023 December 28, 2023 December 31, 2023 January 3, 2024 January 6, 2024 January 13, 2024 January 16, 2024 January 20, 2024 January 25, 2024 January 28, 2024 January 31, 2024 February 4, 2024 February 7, 2024 February 10, 2024 February 13, 2024 February 17, 2024 February 25, 2024
7 p.m. 7 p.m. 3 p.m. 6:30 p.m. TBA TBA 2 p.m. 6 p.m. 11 a.m. 6 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m. 11 a.m. 6 p.m. 4 p.m. 10 a.m. 3 p.m. 8 p.m. 7 p.m. 1 p.m. 7 p.m. 1 p.m. 6 p.m. 1 p.m. 7 p.m. 3 p.m. 7 p.m. 12 p.m. 5 p.m.
Wintrust Wintrust Louisville, Ky. Paradise Island, Bahamas Paradise Island, Bahamas Paradise Island, Bahamas Wintrust Wintrust Wintrust Coral Gables, Fla. Wintrust Wintrust Cincinnati, Ohio Wintrust Wintrust Providence, R.I. Wintrust Milwaukee, Wis. Wintrust Storrs, Conn. Wintrust Wintrust Indianapolis, Ind. Washington, D.C. Wintrust Omaha, Neb. Wintrust South Orange, N.J. Wintrust
Western Michigan Stonehill No. 17 Louisville South Dakota TBA TBA Loyola Chicago Michigan State Green Bay Miami Northwestern Alabama State Xavier Alcorn State Georgetown Providence Creighton Marquette Xavier Connecticut St. John’s Villanova Butler Georgetown Providence Creighton Marquette Seton Hall Connecticut
February 28, 2024 March 3, 2024
7 p.m. 4 p.m.
Wintrust Villanova, Pa.
Butler Villanova
Doug Bruno has coached the women’s Bball team since 1976.
4 | Basketball Preview. The DePaulia. Nov. 6, 2023
More than a team, a tradition 50 seasons in the making
years coaching DePaul women’s basketball before leaving in 1978 to coach the Chicago Hustle, a team in the short-lived Women’s Professional Basketball League (WBL). He then took up the role of associate men’s head coach at Loyola University. During that time, the DePaul women’s basketball team was coached by John Lawler, then Ron Feiereisel and Jim Izard. Bruno returned to coach the women’s
There was no resistance. There was a natural wanting to create opportunities for women.” Doug Bruno DePaul women’s basketball huddles during an exhibition game against Lewis on Oct. 29, 2023, at Wintrust Arena.
WILL ROBSON | THE DEPAULIA
BY ELIZABETH GREGERSON Contributing Writer The headline printed on the very bottom of the Jan. 29, 1925, DePaulia front page reads, “Girls Practice Basketball.” The story is rather short for a newspaper, but it’s there:
It might be hard to imagine a world where the novelty of women playing basketball was groundbreaking enough to make the front page of a newspaper. Printed in ink THE DEPAULIA | DEPAUL UNIVERSITY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS and memorialized in the DePaul Jean Lenti-Ponsetto shoots in a game against Lake Forest in March 1977. Library’s online newspaper data- Lenti-Ponsetto played for DePaul in its early years and served as atheltic base, the story is an anchor for the director for the Blue Demons for 18 years, before retiring in 2020. tradition of women’s basketball at not accept female students when athletic teams under the WAA for DePaul, celebrating its 50th official the “Co-Ed Five” formed at De- no extra pay when the passing of season this year. Paul in 1926. Any college women’s Title IX occurred in 1972. The 1926 DePaulian Yearbook athletic team had to operate as a Title IX is the federal law that shows women in the fourth-floor club, with members paying dues prohibits sex-based Liberal Arts Building meetings and sharing uniforms. Women’s discrimination in took it upon themselves to form basketball at DePaul continued to educational programs their own basketball team. function as a club for nearly an- or activities at insti“Perhaps it was a desire for the other 50 years. tutions that receive gayly-checkered uniforms of the The Women’s Athletic Asso- federal funding. The ‘Blue Demons’ that induced the cociation (WAA) facilitated the early passing of Title IX eds of DePaul to form a basketball years of women’s athletic clubs at meant that federally team,” the yearbook reads. “But, DePaul. An article in the Oct. 11, funded universities judging from the surprisingly good 1974, sports section of The De- and institutions had record they managed to make in Paulia said the WAA “operated on to offer comparable the short time in which they funclimited funds which included dues athletic opportunities tioned as a team, we might say that from members, proceeds from for women as they did nothing less than a genuine love bake sales and other such sources.” for men. for athletics and the ability to play Physical education professors DePaul started implementthe game were behind their deciMillie Shemluck and Jean Nord- ing Title IX policies in 1974 and sion to unite into a ‘Co-Ed Five.’” berg were coaching the women’s women’s athletics officially began Most Catholic universities did operating under DePaul’s athletic DePaulia clippings courtesy of the DePaul Special Collections and Archives.
department. Women’s basketball coach Doug Bruno was there when it happened. Much like DePaul’s early acceptance of female students, he said the transition was met with great support from university administration and staff. “Tina Brown. Dr. Patricia Ewers. Gene Sullivan. The Vincentian Fathers. These people were real in their fight for women to have opportunities here at DePaul. There was no resistance. There was a natural wanting to create opportunities for women,” Bruno said, a DePaul University alum who played under the respected and revered men’s basketball coach Ray Meyer from 1969 to 1973. With Title IX, DePaul started providing athletic scholarships to women for the first time. Bruno, a scholarship recipient himself, knew how impactful the financial assistance would be. When he became head coach of the women’s basketball team in 1976 after Debbie Miller, he immediately handed the scholarships to women already on the team. He said he still remembers them by name. “Some of our first scholarship athletes were Jean
Lenti Ponsetto, Patty Hie, Karen Loiacono, Diane Brynairski, Sue Buhmann, Debbie Brinkman, Carolyn Connors,” Bruno said. Bruno had two successful
DePaul women’s head coach
team at his alma mater in 1988. “My obvious goal is success on the floor and off the floor for the ladies in the program,” Bruno told The DePaulia in the fall of 1988. “But coupled with that success is showing the Chicago sports fans that we are worth watching and putting people in Alumni Hall.” It is safe to say that Bruno achieved his goal. The DePaul women’s basketball program has continued to grow and succeed under Bruno’s guidance, winning multiple conference championships and reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 four times. Candis Blankson played for the DePaul women’s basketball team from 1997 to 2001. Blankson now serves as the director of player relations and is an assistant coach for the team. She looks back on her time as a student-athlete fondly. “With my group of recruits, Coach Bruno was just trying to have good character kids that cared about academics,” Blankson said. “We didn’t have as much success as we have been having traditionally, but it was a fun time. I felt good about being the start and the foundation of something great.” Last year, the women’s basketball team struggled to hold on to all its players, with six players transferring from the program. Current players are keenly aware of the women’s basketball legacy at the university. DePaul guard Anaya Peoples and forward Jorie Allen spoke to reporter John Fanta at the BIG EAST basketball media day Oct. 24 at Madison Square Garden. Both student-athletes reflected on what it means to play in the 50th season of women’s basketball at DePaul. “I think about all the hard work the past generation of women put in for us to be able to play this game,” Peoples said.
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Basketball Preview. The DePaulia. Nov. 6, 2023 | 5
Wintrust woes: Athletics struggles to fill stands BY ROSE O’KEEFFE Asst. News Editor
THE DEPAULIA | DEPAUL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Bruno (right) poses with Ray Meyer and Pat Kennedy (left) at the opening of the Ray Meyer eation Center on Lincoln Park Campus, in September 1999. er teammate echoed similar ments. t means a lot to us to uphold adition of excellence at De– to be a part of that history make a little bit of our own e,” Allen said. ePaul women’s basketball did history Oct. 15 in an exhibiame against the University of The game had 55,646 people endance and broke the allattendance record for a womasketball game. While prospective students nitially consider DePaul beof the women’s basketball s history, Blankson said reare drawn to the tight-knit onment DePaul provides. t really is a family atmoe. We support each other,” son said. She mentions the uragement of Athletic Direc-
THE DEPAULIA | DEPAUL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Candis Blankson, now director of player relations for the women’s basketball team, shoots at her last game as a Blue Demon in March 2001, at the DePaul athletic complex.
of DePaul, becoming great service ter pausing and apologizing for leaders after they leave here. It’s a getting emotional. His memory living memory, an ongoing living encapsulates how far women’s memory.” basketball has come at DePaul. The tradition Bruno speaks of “The looks on our kids’ facis built from the perseverance of es,” Bruno said. “The first group DePaul students from the past. that went to an NCAA tournaAlmost 100 years after Mary, ment. They were just watching eWayne Peevy as one force Marge, Ruth and Helen met on the TV set and it came up that d that atmosphere in the aththe fourth floor of the Liberal Arts they had earned their way into rograms at DePaul. Building to practice basketball, the NCAA tournament the first evy has been on the job the DePaul women’s basketball time. That was a pretty cool ex2020, a relatively short time team will play their 50th official perience. A pretty cool moment ared to Bruno and Blankson, season in a state-of-the-art arena for sure.” former student-athletes who that can seat over 10,000 fans. dedicated decades of service Eventually, Bruno comes up Paul. with another favorite memory afuno attributes the dedicaof DePaul University “lifers” m to one thing – people. DePaul is a special place,” o said. “The beauty of DePaul the beginning, it’s always about the people.” or Bruno, the student-athhe coaches impact him the When asked to think of a famemory from his career, he ’t initially think of the past. My favorite memories are ing our student athletes ate, go on and make a life for THE DEPAULIA | DEPAUL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS elves after basketball,” Bruno Alumni Hall, now demolished, was the home to women’s basketCarrying on in the tradition ball from 1974 to 2000. The site now hosts the LPC student center.
Cheers echo off empty seats at Wintrust Arena as a cohort of student fans gather to watch DePaul basketball. Though DIBS and the dance team try to make their Blue Demon pride reach the nosebleeds, those seats are often empty. Far off, it seems, are the glory days of DePaul basketball when legendary men’s coach Ray Meyer was at the helm of a program that achieved 21 postseason appearances from 1942-1984. Back then, DePaul basketball played at Alumni Hall on the Lincoln Park campus before moving to Allstate Arena in Rosemont in 1980. DePaul basketball, including several strong women’s teams, played there until 2017 when Wintrust Arena in South Loop opened. Now, both of DePaul’s basketball teams play at Wintrust. KT Raimey, DePaul senior and men’s basketball guard said he enjoys playing at Wintrust, though he thinks more student attendance would enhance the overall atmosphere on game days. “We have to get more people to show up because when we have more people, the games get even more fun,” Raimey said. Attendance at DePaul men’s home games totaled 60,671 in the 2022-23 season. Though Wintrust can seat 10,000, men’s basketball attendance per game averaged 4,045 fans. Women’s games recorded 27,639 in Wintrust attendance for the season. DePaul Athletics planned new ways to draw more student attendance at Wintrust this season, according to Kassidy Brown, senior associate athletic director for marketing and communications. Brown said the marketing department is tapping into students’ affinity for giveaway items to draw a larger crowd at basketball games. “We’re leaning into the smaller quantity but higher-value giveaways,” Brown said. This will include Hawaiian shirts, bucket hats and a PlayStation 5 later in the season at a women’s game. DeWayne Peevy, vice president and director of athletics, is thinking bigger down the road. “I want to give away some big things like scholarships,” Peevy said. “I think there’s room to grow and that’s the fun part.” Oct. 26, DePaul Athletics unveiled a series of enhancements for the 2023-24 season that Brown said will help foster a more exciting overall game day experience. Fans can expect an expanded team merchandise shop, a mobile order option
for concessions, a 15% student discount on concessions and a dedicated DIBS meeting location, among other improvements. Though enticing giveaways and new concessions perks may attract more fans, getting to Wintrust Arena can be an obstacle for students. “A lot of our main sports are off campus, which makes it a lot harder to go and support the athletes,” said Hannah Smith, a DePaul sophomore and women’s tennis player. However, DePaul sponsors free shuttles from the Lincoln Park campus to Wintrust Arena and back for students on game days. “I’m a player and I didn’t even know about the shuttles,” Raimey said. To spread the word, Brown said the Athletics marketing team will place door hangers in each residence hall with information about the logistics of attending games. It will include a QR code that allows students to claim their free tickets and free spots on the shuttle bus. “We’re putting together a video to identify how to get your ticket, the bus location, the process of getting dropped off at Wintrust and the return back,” Brown said. Peevy said DePaul is hoping to partner with rideshare services to make Wintrust accessible for students who are not coming from Lincoln Park. Once students and other fans arrive at the arena, DePaul works with local Chicago authorities to ensure Wintrust and the surrounding area are safe, according to Courtney Day, DePaul Athletics representative. Security professionals monitor the arena and surrounding areas “around the clock,” Day said, in addition to metal detectors upon entry and a clear bag policy. With these new efforts as a starting point, Brown said there is great potential for increased Blue Demon attendance. “I think students care and want to be brought into the sports culture, but it might not be there quite yet,” she said. She also hopes those who already attend games and follow DePaul sports will recruit more to do the same. “It takes some influencers, it also takes some wins,” she said. DePaul’s men’s basketball had a 10-23 losing record last season, while women’s basketball was 16-17. Some studies show that successful teams draw greater attendance. Though it’s considered a rebuilding year for the women, Raimey, the DePaul men’s guard, has high hopes for his team. “We have a lot of depth and a lot of size,” he said. “We have a lot to show you guys this year.”
YÙ YÙ BLUE | THE DEPAULIA DePaul women’s bball team began 2 years after the passing of title IX
6 | Basketball Preview. The DePaulia. Nov. 6, 2023
DONALD CROCKER | THE DEPAULIA
Brynn Masikewich passes the ball to a fellow player at the DePaul-Iowa charity exhibition game on Oct. 15, 2023, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
DONALD CROCKER | THE DEPAULIA
Sumer Lee guards Iowa's Caitlin Clark at the DePaul-Iowa charity exhibition game on Oct. 15, 2023, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
Team Canada players bring international experience to DePaul
BY SAMANTHA DAVIS
Contributing Writer DePaul’s women’s basketball team has eight new faces this season, including Brynn Masikewich and Sumer Lee, who both have played internationally in their home country of Canada. The two newcomers have professionallevel experience and have traveled the world with the game, and they are still early into their careers. Originally from Alberta, Canada, Masikewich is a 6-foot-3 graduate forward who transferred to DePaul after four years at UCLA. Lee, 5-foot-8, is a freshman guard from Toronto, Canada.
Masikewich said head coach Doug Bruno was the main reason she chose DePaul. “I wanted to be coached by his smarts, his intelligence,” Masikewich said. “He’s a Hall of Fame coach. I want to expand my game as a basketball player, and I know he can help me get there.” Like Masikewich, Lee said the coaches, along with the team’s open and dynamic playing style, were instrumental in persuading her decision to join DePaul. “I would say what drew me to DePaul is the coaching staff, especially coach Bruno … and their playing style,” Lee said. “DePaul’s playing style is very positionless basketball, so I feel like you could just fit in anywhere. You just have to produce on the court.” Bruno is excited about what Masikewich and Lee can add to the team. “[Lee] was just very competitive … did a great job defensively, is a really special defensive player,” Bruno said about watching Lee play before recruiting her. “She was a glue player. Of all the great players on her team, she was a player coach never took off the floor.” Masikewich has been on Bruno’s radar for a while. “Brynn, we recruited her out of school a long time ago, and then she went to UCLA for four years,” Burno said. “We like Brynn’s size and potential … She can stretch the floor.
So that’s what attracted us to Brynn the first time, and now the second time.” Masikewich dealt with some injuries at UCLA, including an ACL tear. She played her senior season in 2022-23, where the Bruins made it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. Both Masikewich and Lee have goals to play in the WNBA or overseas. They are also the first DePaul women’s basketball players from Canada since Carla Stone, who played with the Blue Demons 1991-95 and now teaches in Skokie, Illinois. Masikewich played with Team Canada for three years, including the 2019 World Cup in Thailand, where she played all seven games in the tournament. They finished sixth overall. She was named the BioSteel All-Canadian MVP that year. Masikewich most recently played on Canada’s U23 Women’s National Team in July 2023 in the GLOBL JAM Gold Medal Game. Lee played on the U16 team, where they placed second overall at the 2021 Federation International Basketball Association (FIBA) Americas women’s championship in Guanajuato, Mexico. This tournament performance qualified them for the 2022 U17 FIBA World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary. They finished fourth overall. Lee also made the 2022 BioSteel All-Canadian team. When reflecting on the moment they made the Team Canada roster, Masikewich and Lee laughed with one another about their experiences. They would sit in their dorm or hotel room and wait for a knock on the door. “You walk down this incredibly long hallway, they make it really long,” Masikewich said. “You go and you sit down … They’re like, ‘Brynn, we would love to have you part of the team, you had a great tryout,’ … It’s the biggest sigh of relief.” Masikewich said the tryouts are daunting because of the pressure of competing against other top players in the country. “When you come back, it’s literally like, ‘oh my gosh,’ and you’re calling your parents, ‘I made it, I made it,’” Masikewich said, proudly re-living the movement. “Seeing your jersey with Canada across and your last name on the back, that’s really like, ‘whoa.’ … It chokes you up, because I was like, ‘wow, all my hard work is paying off.’” Lee’s experience getting told she made the roster was different than Masikewich’s. “It’s all in a group text,” Lee said. “So it’s a whole group chat, and they just say, ‘Sumer Lee, please come down.’ … Then you just go down and you walk in, it’s like a bunch of coaches are sitting there. It’s just a sigh of relief. … I’m shaking because I don’t know what to expect honestly, but then I just came back up. … I called my parents and they said, ‘good job Sumer, all your hard work paid off.’” Lee spoke about how playing internationally prepared her to have a strong mentality due to the changing amounts of playing time. How many minutes each player sees the court for one game may not be the same for
the next. “It’s an amazing experience playing for your country, representing your country,” Lee said. “I’ll just say that it taught me how to be mentally tough. … You just got to own up to your role. Make sure you play to your strengths, and just trust yourself on the court.” Masikewich said there is a difference with national play and it’s important to find the team dynamic. She said it’s more than just scoring; it’s knowing where to fit in. “The national team is totally different … because we’re all top players coming from the whole nation coming on one team,” Masikewich said. “So it’s kind of like, ‘okay well, I’m used to averaging 20, you as well, how are we going to all work together and be a team.’” Both Masikewich and Lee agreed it was an experience they will never forget. Canada’s men’s team recently competed in the FIBA World Cup this summer, beating the United States 127-118 in overtime. They walked away with bronze, the first FIBA medal in Team Canada’s history.
“Them winning this, the tournament is huge,” Masikewich said. “It’s exciting, because once you play Team Canada, you’re family. Even if you come and go and stuff like that. Everyone knows everyone.” Bruno addressed the key components Masikewich and Lee will add to the team: defense and height. “I think she [Lee] is going to add that defensive grit, that toughness and she’s also smart,” Bruno said. “She could play more than one guard spot, so I think she also brings some versatility. I think we have a talented team but we’re not big. We’re big at the guard position … but we’re not big in the interior. Brynn Masikewich brings some good interior size that’s much needed.” After two exhibition games over the past few weeks, Bruno and his team prepare for the regular season. “I’m really excited about the year,” Bruno said. “I just think this team has a good chance to surprise some people.”
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Basketball Preview. The DePaulia Nov. 6, 2023 | 7
MEN BLUE DEMONS
Roster & 2022-23 season recap
2
3
Chico Carter Jr. GR. | GUARD | 6-2
4
Jalen Terry
SR. | GUARD | 6-0
12
21
Mac Etienne
Da'Sean Nelson
R-SO. | FWRD | 6-10
55
SR. | FWRD | 6-8
Mo Sall
K.T. Raimey
14-6 (24-13)
0.649
13-7 (21-12)
0.795
13-7 (21-12)
0.636
10-10 (17-17)
0.5
10-10 (17-16)
0.515
7-13 (18-15)
0.545
6-14 (14-18)
0.438
3-17 (10-23)
0.303
2-18 (7-25)
0.219
SO. | GUARD/FWRD | 6-7
Keyondre Young JR. | GUARD | 6-9
25
35
Elijah Fisher
Caleb Murphy
Jeremiah Oden
Dramane Camara
SO. | GUARD | 6-6
Overall win percent
0.73
Jaden Henley
23
LAST Conference SEASON’S RANKING (Overall) 15-5 (27-10)
FR. | CENTER | 6-9
11
22
SO. | GUARD | 6-5
0.806
10
Churchill Abass
SR. | GUARD/ FWRD | 6-3
LAST SEASON’S TEAM AVERAGES
17-3 (29-7)
5
SR. | GUARD | 6-4
SR. | FWRD | 6-9
FR. | GUARD | 6-6
HEADSHOTS COURTESY OF DEPAUL ATHLETICS
Field Goal Percentage
Opp. Points Per Game
Points Per Game
42.7%
77.3
71.2
THIS SEASON’S SCHEDULE ALL TIMES IN CT DATE
TIME
LOCATION
OPPONENT
November 7, 2023 November 11, 2023 November 14, 2023 November 17, 2023 November 19, 2023 November 25, 2023 December 1, 2023 December 6, 2023 December 9, 2023 December 16, 2023 December 23, 2023 December 30, 2023 January 2, 2024 January 6, 2024 January 9, 2024 January 12, 2024 January 17, 2024 January 20, 2024 January 24, 2024 January 27, 2024 January 30, 2024 February 3, 2024 February 6, 2024 February 14, 2024 February 17, 2024 February 21, 2024 February 24, 2024 February 28, 2024 March 2, 2024 March 5, 2024 March 9, 2024 March 13, 2024
8 p.m. 9 a.m. 8 p.m. 10:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m/ 6 p.m. 8 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 8 p.m. 1 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 11 a.m. 8 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 8 p.m. 3 p.m. 8 p.m. 6 p.m. 8 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 8 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 8 p.m. 5 p.m. 6 p.m. 11 a.m. 8 p.m. 8:30 p.m. TBD
Wintrust Wintrust Wintrust Glendale, Ariz. Glendale, Ariz. Wintrust Wintrust College Station, Texas Wintrust Wintrust Wintrust Wintrust Away Washington, DC Wintrust Villanova, Pa. Wintrust Indianapolis, Ind. Wintrust Omaha, Neb. Wintrust Wintrust Elmont, N.Y. Wintrust Providence, RI Milwaukee, Wis. Wintrust Cincinnati, Ohio Wintrust Wintrust South Orange, NJ BIG EAST TOURNY
Purdue Fort Wayne Long Beach State South Dakota South Carolina Grand Canyon/San Francisco Northern Illinois Iowa State Texas A&M Louisville Northwestern Villanova Chicago State UConn Georgetown Creighton Villanova Providence Butler Marquette Creighton Seton Hall Xavier St. John’s UConn Providence Marquette Georgetown Xavier Butler St. John’s Seton Hall New York, N.Y. Many former Blue Demons came back to work for athletics. Including Doug Bruno (‘73), Candis Blankson (‘01) and Jean Lenti (‘78)
Basketball Preview. The DePaulia. Nov. 6, 2023 | 8
DONALD CROCKER | THE DEPAULIA
DePaul women’s basketball staff and players yell from the sidelines at an exhibition game against Iowa on Oct. 15, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa. opposing team is more prone to
EMERGING DEPTH AND
YOUNG TALENT:
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW BY RYAN HINSKE Sports Editor Doug Bruno enters his 38th year at DePaul in uncharted territory. His Blue Demons were eighth in the Big East last season for the first time since the 201112 season, but even then, that team made the second round of the NCAA Tournament. This is the first time in over 20 years Bruno enters a campaign fresh off a losing season. DePaul’s 2022-23 offseason was headlined by the departure
of their superstar: third-team AP All-American Aneesah Morrow. The 6-foot-1 forward averaged 25.7 points per game in just her sophomore year. Though fans will miss her scoring and rebounding ability after her transfer to LSU this summer, the door is open for a new identity, one of faster pace and increased depth. Bruno is historically known for a transition-oriented approach aimed at pushing the pace and getting quick points. By scoring at a high rate, the
make mistakes trying to catch up, which Bruno exposes with his full-court press defense aimed at forcing errors and creating turnovers. “We want to put pressure on our opponent defensively, and I think you put pressure on your opponent by scoring the ball,” Bruno said after DePaul’s first exhibition game against the University of Iowa Oct. 15. To keep that level of energy present, the nature of DePaul’s roster needed a revamp this summer. DePaul ranked 344th out of 350 in all of D1 women’s basketball in bench scoring at only 8.4 points per game last season. One of the main goals for this offseason was to round out the roster with players who could guard more positions and be placed anywhere on the floor.
Only five players are still on the team from last season: redshirt freshman guard Haley Walker, graduate guard Jade Edwards, sophomore guard Maeve McErlane, graduate guard Anaya Peoples, and graduate forward Jorie Allen. The team chemistry needs to be built from the ground up, but Bruno likes the signs. “You’re either a chemistry builder or a chemistry buster,” Bruno said after DePaul’s second exhibition against Lewis Oct. 29. “I don’t see a lot of chemistry busters. … They’ve worked very hard to get better, so it’s a great group to coach.” Peoples, who has taken a leadership role as one of the few returning members of the team, says her new teammates have fueled her. “They believe in me, the coaches believe in me, and I believe in these players and coaches,” Peoples said. “It’s just good to be surrounded by a bunch of girls and coaches that you know truly have your best interest.” DePaul has many new additions to the team that fit the mold and are well-balanced in terms of age. Some new players include graduate transfers Brynn Masikewich, Katlyn Gilbert and Michelle Sidor, sophomore transfer Kate Clarke and four freshmen: Grace Carstensen, Charlece Ohiaeri, Sumer Lee and Shakara McCline. In total, there are seven underclassmen and six upperclassmen, balancing experience
and longevity to the roster. “I’m getting to learn them better and learn the strengths and weaknesses of each of them,” Bruno said. “And a little bit of who’s for real and who’s not, because I haven’t coached them.” Though he has not finalized lineups and fits, Bruno believes they have great opportunities to learn more through their upcoming challenges, culminating in a matchup with a Louisville team that is ranked 17th in the preseason poll. “There’s just a lot still to be figured out, and I don’t know if that’s going to be happening instantly the night of the Western Michigan and Stone Hill games,” he said. “I think those will be two really good tests for us to get started and then we go down to Louisville and play a big time program.” The aggressive rebounding, pressing and trapping from the DePaul defense in the Lewis exhibition was encouraging despite the poor shot-making, including just four made threepointers out of 30 attempts. Peoples and Allen combined for 10 offensive rebounds alone. “It’s the aggressiveness and the intention that you bring to the game,” Allen said. “Putting in that extra effort and having your teammate’s back. Keeping that throughout the season is just making a promise to each other and then putting forth our best effort in all areas of the game.”
New team, new hope for redemption: MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
BY TOM GORSKI
Men’s Basketball Beat Writer
DePaul men’s basketball is striving to reclaim its past success since its last NCAA Tournament victory in 2004. However, despite numerous efforts, the team remains at the bottom of the Big East conference, unable to recapture its former glory. The Blue Demons are consistently ranking within the bottom three of the Big East for nearly two decades, with the team’s last finish outside of that range dating back to the 2006-2007 season. Entering his third season, head coach Tony Stubblefield is filled with optimism and excitement as he works with the team he has envisioned since his arrival. This group is distinguished by a blend of camaraderie, enthusiasm, athleticism and versatility. “I think our guys have been working extremely hard over the course of about 28 practices and I like the camaraderie of this team,” Stubblefield said. “This is a group that will get better throughout the course of the year and get familiar with playing with each other. We got guys that can guard multiple positions that I think can really help us.” DePaul finished in second to last place at the conference, only placing ahead of Georgetown, ending the season 10-23 overall and 3-17 in Big East play. The team encountered challenges, including multiple key starters facing injuries and a tough stretch of 12 consecutive losses to finish the regular season.
“It’s a hard experience with a lot of sleepless nights,” Stubblefield said of the impact of last year’s injuries. “But, it’s part of the game and things happen and that’s why you recruit accordingly.” However, the team managed to end the season on a high note by upsetting Seton Hall, 66-65 in the opening round of the Big East Tournament. This triumph came after senior Nick Ongenda made a game-saving block at the final buzzer to secure the win for the Blue Demons. “I knew it was a block,” Ongenda said after the game. “They made great plays, but that’s what I do, I block. I block everything, that’s my specialty.” Following the Blue Demons’ unexpected victory, they matched up against Xavier but were defeated 89-84, resulting in the team’s elimination from the tournament. This offseason, DePaul lost 10 players from last season’s roster due to graduation and the transfer portal, which includes four starters in Ongenda, Javan Johnson, Umoja Gibson and Eral Penn. The biggest surprise this offseason was the team losing fourstar recruit Zion Cruz to the transfer portal in September. Just a year ago, Cruz was viewed as the next great Blue Demon and potential star, but is now enrolled at Pratt Community College in Kansas for the upcoming season. The program faced a significant setback with the departure of arguably its most prominent recruit since Wilson Chandler, but
what was even more astonishing was Stubblefield securing a commitment from Texas Tech transfer Elijah Fisher on Friday, May 19. “I’ve recruited Canada for a long time going back to my days at Oregon, so Elijah was someone that I was already familiar with coming out of high school,” Stubblefield said. “Once he became in the portal, he was a guy that I had a real high level of interest in because of his versatility and ability to play multiple positions and guard multiple positions.” Fisher, a two-way guard out of Ontario, Canada, is viewed as a five-star recruit by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports. He also held 21 offers from leading national programs and was ranked as the No. 15 player in the country by Rivals before opting for the reclassification. “It’s been amazing,” Fisher said of his experience at DePaul thus far. “I feel like we have more of a culture here and really gel with one another. The coaching staff understands me and they know how to push me to get me to be better.” Along with Fisher, the Blue Demons added UCLA redshirt sophomore center Mac Etienne, Minnesota sophomore wing Jaden Henly, Wyoming senior center Jeremiah Oden, Triton junior guard Keyondre Young and South Carolina graduate guard Chico Carter Jr. from the transfer portal this past offseason. The 2023 recruiting class included four-star guard Dramane Camara from NBA Academy Africa and fellow teammate Churchill
WILL LONG | THE DEPAULIA
K.T. Raimey, drives to the hoop during an exhibition game, against North Park, on Nov. 2, 2023, at Wintrust Arena. Abbas. DePaul’s outlook remains unThe team is welcoming back changed as the Blue Demons are five returning players from last once again predicted to remain at year’s roster, which include senior the bottom of the Big East conferguards Jalen Terry, K.T. Raimey, ence, and were ranked 11th in the Caleb Murphy, sophomore guard preseason coaches’ poll. Mo Sall and senior forward “I love the fact that our backs Da’Sean Nelson. are against the wall and everyone Nelson entered his name in the is doubting us,” Fisher said of the transfer portal earlier in the offsea- team’s expectations this season. “I son intending to play elsewhere, feel like this is a big year, not just but ultimately decided to return to for me, but for the team because DePaul. we’re taking big steps forward in “I look at this [team] as a fam- creating a whole new culture.” ily,” Nelson said of his decision The start of the 2023-24 reguto remain at DePaul. “It was just lar season for the Blue Demons’ more of starting over and trying kickoff home game against Purto build a whole new family. It will due Fort Wayne at Wintrust Arena just be something that would have Tuesday, Nov. 7. The game is set to been mentally challenging for me start at 8 p.m. and will be broadand I feel like I belong here. So it casted on FoxSports2. wasn’t a big, obvious choice.”