Sleeping with the Enemy: The Blue Demons of DePaul

Your Fighting Hoyas of Georgetown open its Run to Glory in the Big East Tournament with a Wednesday evening affair against the DePaul Blue Demons and as usual we here at THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON are bringing you everything you need to know about Georgetown's next opponent. Here with us again to dish on DePaul is @StacDemon of WeAreDepaul.com. Let's do this!

You excited for this Big East Tournament?

Even though I always approach the tournament with a sense of impending doom, and rightfully so, it's always an exciting time of year. Regardless if DePaul is good or not (and for the most part, not), I enjoy the atmosphere this time of year.

It's a fresh slate for everyone involved and it's great to see all the fanbases interact. So, in summation, even though DePaul is expected to lose, I still enjoy the vibrant environment that's palpable when at the Garden.

All that DePaul had to do in order to not finish last in the Conference was defeat lowly Butler at home on Senior Night. That didn't happen and the Demons got shelled. What exactly did happen in that game and convince me that it wasn't the players basically quitting on Oliver Purnell?

Unfortunately, it appeared that the players did in fact quit, as they came into the game with no passion, no well-adjusted game plan or any sense of urgency. They played zero defense while watching Brandon Young do his thing on offense.

It's hard to get a good read on this team. Sometimes they will fight (see at Creighton, at St. John's, vs. Marquette) and then sometimes they just roll over in the face of adversity (see at Providence, Nova twice and of course the Butler game).

Speaking of Purnell, the AD has already backed his sticking around for another year. You good with this?

Not necessarily.

I have gotten to know Purnell and he's a fine man with a solid head on his shoulders, but it appears he bit off more than he can chew by agreeing to come coach DePaul. Perhaps all those years of revitalizing the likes of Clemson, Dayton and Old Dominion drained him mentally and physically.

That said, Chicago hoops is all about politics and you have to play a certain ‘game' and Purnell, whether rightfully or not, hasn't been willing to participate (at least it appears that way). But to his credit, he has brought in an infusion of second-tier Chicago talent to the program with Billy Garett Jr., Tommy Hamilton having already made impacts. And next year he will add two other Chicago kids in Myke Henry (Illinois transfer) and Rashaun Stimage, who should be able to contribute.

How good is Billy Garrett Jr.? Do you see him making the leap to the NBA?

Garrett Jr. is quickly becoming DePaul's favorite player. In fact, he's being lauded as being the potential savior DePaul needs to get back on track and I believe the sky is the limit for him.

His decision making, basketball IQ and headiness is what you want in a floor general. Garrett is great at driving through traffic and drawing contact (which is great when you consider how well he is at the line), as well as being dependable from deep. Check out his three pointer in the closing seconds of regulation in the Marquette game and tell me he's not what you want in a freshman guard. He's fearless.

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That said, he needs time to mature and develop while honing his craft. He is not overly athletic, so he has to rely on his basketball acumen and he will only get better in time. Eventually he may have what it takes to get to the NBA, but that's a couple of years away.

You are a DePaul fan but live in New York. What are the best sporting events you've attended in the past five years?

I can't say that I've truly seen many great games in all honesty.

Let's see I did see one of the New York Giants' regular season wins (over the Dolphins) in their latest Super Bowl run. Ho hum.

I guess the best Mets game in the last five years I saw was actually on the road in Boston when Omir Santos of all people hit a game-winning home run (with the help of replay) off Jonathan Papelbon in Boston.

Of all the other games (Yankees, Mets, Rangers, college basketball games) I've attended, they have been all run of the mill.

Shifting gears to non-sporting events, I'm going to go ahead and assume that you (like me) are a Springsteen fan. If true, please list your top 5 Bruce albums in order and back it up. If false, then, well, I just don't think we can be friends.

Well, I certainly respect, enjoy and appreciate Springsteen, but I'm not a huge fan. That doesn't mean I don't like his music. Far from it.

I would love to see him live. When I was young (about 10-years old), I loved Born in the U.S.A, so that's up there. But I can't say I have a top 5. That said, I know Nebraska and Born to Run would be up there (my brother is the bigger fan) too.

(Casual Note: Your brother is the best.)


I understand you will be attending the Big East Tournament. Which is your favorite local drinking hole near MSG?

Where do I start? There's so many.

I have four that stick out. Mustang Sally's (DePaul's meet-up place) and Mustang Harry's on 7th are very nice. For the Irish in me, I love Molly Wee's on 8th, and the selection of beers and sheer size of Stout (they're Rueben Pizza is to die for) on West 33rd makes it a very nice destination spot for Big East fans.

What is your prediction for DePaul in the Big East next season?

Unfortunately, I see more of the same under the leadership of Purnell.

DePaul will have lost Young, Cleveland Melvin (dismissed earlier in the season) and a vital frontcourt contributor in Sandi Marcius. So they will have that load to replace.

Granted, this will no doubt be Garrett's team and he has shown great leadership this season. If Garret can overcompensate they can be a little better, but how much? Probably not enough to be either the 9th or 10th place team.

Final score prediction?

I got DePaul playing a decent first half, with Georgetown pulling away in second half: Georgetown 78 DePaul 62