2016–17 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team

The 2016–17 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team represented DePaul University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They played almost all of their home games at Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, though they scheduled two regular-season games at the considerably smaller McGrath–Phillips Arena, the regular home of the DePaul women's team, on the school's Chicago campus. The Blue Demons, members of the Big East Conference, were led by head coach Dave Leitao, in the second year of his current tenure and fifth overall at DePaul. They finished the season 9–23, 2–16 in Big East play to finish in last place. They lost in the first round of the Big East Tournament to Xavier.

2016–17 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball
Conference	Big East Conference
2016–17 record	9–23 (2–16 Big East)
Head coach	Dave Leitao (2nd straight, 5th overall season)
Assistant coaches	Rick Carter Billy Garrett Patrick Sellers
Home arena	Allstate Arena McGrath–Phillips Arena

2016–17 Big East men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 1 Villanova †	15	–	3		.833			32	–	4		.889
No. 21 Butler	12	–	6		.667			25	–	9		.735
Creighton	10	–	8		.556			25	–	10		.714
Seton Hall	10	–	8		.556			21	–	12		.636
Providence	10	–	8		.556			20	–	13		.606
Marquette	10	–	8		.556			19	–	13		.594
Xavier	9	–	9		.500			24	–	14		.632
Saint John's	7	–	11		.389			14	–	19		.424
Georgetown	5	–	13		.278			14	–	18		.438
DePaul	2	–	16		.111			9	–	23		.281
† 2017 Big East Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

The season marked the Blue Demons' final season at Allstate Arena. DePaul moved both its men's and women's teams into the new Wintrust Arena on Chicago's Near South Side.[1] The Blue Demons opened the arena with a game against Notre Dame on November 11, 2017.[2]

Previous season

The Blue Demons finished the 2015–16 season 9–22, 3–15 in Big East play to finish in ninth place. They lost to Georgetown in the first round of the Big East Tournament.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Tommy Hamilton IV	2	C	6'11"	255	Junior	Chicago, IL	Left the team due to personal reasons
Rashaun Stimage	3	F	6'8"	217	Senior	Chicago, IL	Graduated
Myke Henry	4	F	6'6"	228	RS Senior	Chicago, IL	Graduated
David Molinari	10	G	6'0"	185	Senior	Peoria, IL	Graduated
Develle Phillips	12	F	6'9"	210	Senior	Bowie, MD	Transferred to Odessa College
Cory Dolins	13	G	6'0"	182	Senior	Northbrook, IL	Graduated
Frederick Scott	14	F	6'7"	235	Freshman	Munster, IN	Transferred to Rider
Aaron Simpson	15	G	5'11"	152	Senior	North Chicago, IL	Graduated
Oumar Barry	25	F	6'10"	226	Freshman	Camp Springs, MD	Transferred to Iowa Western CC

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Austin Grandstaff	2	G	6'4"	188	Sophomore	Rockwall, TX	Transferred from Ohio State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Grandstaff will have to sit out the 2016–17 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.
Tre'Darius McCallum	10	F	6'7"	215	Junior	Myrtle Beach, SC	Junior college transferred from Indian Hills Community College.
Max Strus	31	G	6'6"	215	Junior	Hickory Hills, IL	Transferred from Lewis. Under NCAA transfer rules, Strus will have to sit out the 2016–17 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Chris Harrison-Docks	51	G	6'0"	175	RS Senior	Okemos, MI	Transferred from Western Kentucky. Harrison-Docks will be eligible to play immediately since Harrison-Docks graduated from Western Kentucky.

2016 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Al Eichelberger #52 PF	Saginaw, MI	Saginaw High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Nov 9, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Brandon Cyrus #51 SG	La Porte, IN	La Lumiere School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Nov 10, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Devin Gage PG	Chicago, IL	Curie High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jun 19, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Levi Cook C	Arnett, WV	Elev8 Basketball Academy	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	Apr 5, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 DePaul Signees". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. "2016 DePaul Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016.

2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Justin Roberts #31 PG	Indianapolis, IN	Pike High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jun 13, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 DePaul Signees". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. "2017 DePaul Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016.

2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
John Diener SG	Cedarburg, WI	Cedarburg High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	May 4, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 DePaul Signees". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. "2018 DePaul Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016.

Preseason

Prior to the season, DePaul was picked to finish last in a poll of Big East coaches.[3]

Roster

2016–17 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 R. J. Curington 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 199 lb (90 kg) Sr Oak Hill Academy Dyer, IN G 1 Darrick Wood 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 178 lb (81 kg) Sr Bridgton Academy Hutchinson CC Alexandria, VA G 2 Austin Grandstaff (I)  6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Rockwall Ohio State Rockwall, TX G 3 Brandon Cyrus 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 187 lb (85 kg) Fr La Lumiere School Toronto, ON G 4 Devin Gage 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 177 lb (80 kg) Fr Curie Chicago, IL G 5 Billy Garrett Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Morgan Park Chicago, IL F 10 Tre'Darius McCallum 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 207 lb (94 kg) Jr St. James Indian Hills CC Myrtle Beach, SC G 11 Eli Cain 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So St. Benedict's Prep Willingboro, NJ G 12 Erten Gazi 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 212 lb (96 kg) So Istanbul Bostanci Doga College Northern Cyprus F 23 Al Eichelberger 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 251 lb (114 kg) Fr Saginaw Saginaw, MI F 30 Peter Ryckbosch 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 234 lb (106 kg) RS Sr St. Ignatius Chicago, IL G 31 Max Strus (I)  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Amos Alonzo Stagg Lewis University Hickory Hills, IL F 32 David Leitao III (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 221 lb (100 kg) Sr Rock Bridge Peru State College Virginia Beach, VA F 33 Joe Hanel (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Jr Holy Family Catholic Savage, MN C 44 Levi Cook 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 300 lb (136 kg) Fr 8 Sports Institute Clarksburg, WV G 51 Chris Harrison-Docks 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 189 lb (86 kg) RS Sr Okemos Western Kentucky Okemos, MI	Head coach Dave Leitao (Northeastern) Assistant coach(es) Rick Carter (Michigan State) Billy Garrett (Indianapolis) Patrick Sellers (Central Connecticut State) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Nov 4, 2016* 8:00 pm		Rockhurst	W 79–53		26 – Garrett Jr.	11 – Cook	4 – Garrett Jr.	McGrath–Phillips Arena (1,615) Chicago, IL
Non-conference regular season
Nov 13, 2016* 6:00 pm, FS1		Robert Morris	W 78–72	1–0	21 – Cain	8 – McCallum	6 – McCallum	McGrath–Phillips Arena (2,330) Chicago, IL
Nov 17, 2016* 7:30 pm, FS1		Rutgers Gavitt Tipoff Games	L 59–66	1–1	24 – Cain	9 – McCallum	4 – McCallum	Allstate Arena (4,057) Rosemont, IL
Nov 20, 2016* 12:30 pm, FS1		Milwaukee	W 77–59	2–1	20 – Garrett Jr.	6 – Garrett Jr.	6 – Garrett Jr.	Allstate Arena (4,518) Rosemont, IL
Nov 23, 2016* 7:00 pm, FSN/WCIU		Missouri State	W 68–66	3–1	23 – Garrett Jr.	12 – McCallum	3 – Garrett Jr.	Allstate Arena (4,387) Rosemont, IL
Nov 30, 2016* 7:30 pm, FSN/WCIU		Drake	W 77–75	4–1	19 – Cain	8 – Cyrus	4 – Tied	Allstate Arena (2,091) Rosemont, IL
Dec 3, 2016* 6:00 pm, BTN		at Northwestern	L 64–80	4–2	15 – Wood	8 – Wood	3 – Garrett Jr.	Welsh-Ryan Arena (6,751) Evanston, IL
Dec 6, 2016* 8:00 pm, FSN/WCIU		Lamar	W 80–61	5–2	21 – Cain	10 – McCallum	2 – Tied	Allstate Arena (4,516) Rosemont, IL
Dec 10, 2016* 11:00 am, ESPNU		vs. Temple Hoophall Miami Invitational	L 65–74	5–3	17 – Cain	7 – Cain	2 – Cain	American Airlines Arena (2,152) Miami, FL
Dec 14, 2016* 7:00 pm, FS1		UIC	L 75–80	5–4	27 – Cain	12 – Hanel	3 – Garrett Jr.	McGrath–Phillips Arena (2,099) Chicago, IL
Dec 17, 2016* 1:00 pm, FS1		Chicago State Las Vegas Classic	W 109–61	6–4	31 – Cain	12 – McCallum	5 – Garrett Jr.	Allstate Arena (4,592) Rosemont, IL
Dec 19, 2016* 8:00 pm, FS1		Southeast Missouri State Las Vegas Classic	W 81–78	7–4	19 – Garrett Jr.	8 – Hanel	8 – Garrett Jr.	Allstate Arena (4,377) Rosemont, IL
Dec 22, 2016* 7:00 pm, FS1		vs. Wyoming Las Vegas Classic semifinals	L 58–72	7–5	18 – McCallum	6 – McCallum	1 – 4 tied	Orleans Arena  Paradise, NV
Dec 23, 2016* 7:30 pm, FS1		vs. Missouri State Las Vegas Classic 3rd place game	L 58–69	7–6	16 – Garrett Jr.	7 – McCallum	3 – Cain	Orleans Arena  Paradise, NV
Big East Conference regular season
Dec 28, 2016 5:30 pm, FS1		at No. 1 Villanova	L 65–68	7–7 (0–1)	19 – McCallum	7 – McCallum	4 – Tied	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA
Jan 1, 2017 1:00 pm, FS1		St. John's	L 73–79	7–8 (0–2)	18 – Cain	9 – McCallum	3 – Tied	Allstate Arena (5,152) Rosemont, IL
Jan 7, 2017 11:00 am, CBSSN		at Seton Hall	L 56–87	7–9 (0–3)	22 – Garrett Jr.	9 – Cyrus	1 – 4 tied	Prudential Center (7,797) Newark, NJ
Jan 10, 2017 8:00 pm, FS1		Providence	W 64–63	8–9 (1–3)	14 – Garrett Jr.	8 – McCallum	5 – Garrett Jr.	Allstate Arena (4,641) Rosemont, IL
Jan 14, 2017 1:00 pm, FSN/WCIU		at Marquette	L 58–83	8–10 (1–4)	12 – Garrett Jr.	6 – Hanel	3 – Cain	BMO Harris Bradley Center (13,832) Milwaukee, WI
Jan 16, 2017 3:30 pm, FS1		at St. John's MLK Day Marathon	L 68–78	8–11 (1–5)	16 – Garrett Jr.	10 – McCallum	5 – Tied	Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY
Jan 21, 2017 1:00 pm, FS1		No. 13 Butler	L 69–70 ^OT	8–12 (1–6)	32 – Cain	11 – McCallum	4 – Cain	Allstate Arena (6,713) Rosemont, IL
Jan 28, 2017 1:30 pm, FS1		at No. 16 Creighton	L 66–83	8–13 (1–7)	18 – Garrett Jr.	9 – Hanel	5 – Cain	CenturyLink Center (17,611) Omaha, NE
Jan 31, 2017 8:15 pm, FS1		Georgetown	L 73–76	8–14 (1–8)	25 – Garrett Jr.	6 – Tied	3 – Tied	Allstate Arena (5,455) Rosemont, IL
Feb 4, 2017 1:00 pm, FS1		Marquette	L 79–92	8–15 (1–9)	21 – McCallum	7 – McCallum	7 – Cain	Allstate Arena (8,392) Rosemont, IL
Feb 8, 2017 5:30 pm, FS1		at No. 24 Xavier	L 61–72	8–16 (1–10)	18 – Cyrus	6 – Cyrus	4 – Cain	Cintas Center (10,250) Cincinnati, OH
Feb 11, 2017 1:00 pm, FS1		No. 23 Creighton	L 58–93	8–17 (1–1)	15 – Harrison-Docks	7 – Hanel	3 – Cain	Allstate Arena (6,409) Rosemont, IL
Feb 13, 2017 8:00 pm, CBSSN		No. 2 Villanova	L 62–75	8–18 (1–12)	18 – Harrison-Docks	8 – Tied	3 – Tied	Allstate Arena (6,963) Rosemont, IL
Feb 19, 2017 12:30 pm, FS1		at No. 24 Butler	L 66–82	8–19 (1–13)	24 – Cain	6 – Tied	3 – Cain	Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN
Feb 22, 2017 6:05 pm, CBSSN		at Georgetown	W 67–65	9–19 (2–13)	15 – Garrett Jr.	7 – McCallum	4 – Garrett Jr.	Verizon Center (7,896) Washington, D.C.
Feb 25, 2017 1:00 pm, FSN/WCIU		Seton Hall	L 79–82	9–20 (2–14)	26 – Garrett Jr.	6 – Cain	6 – Garrett Jr.	Allstate Arena (5,144) Rosemont, IL
Feb 28, 2017 7:30 pm, FS1		at Providence	L 64–73	9–21 (2–15)	12 – Tied	7 – McCallum	4 – Tied	Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,101) Providence, RI
Mar 4, 2017 1:00 pm, FSN/WCIU		Xavier	L 65–79	9–22 (2–16)	17 – Garrett Jr.	7 – Tied	3 – Cain	Allstate Arena (6,774) Rosemont, IL
Big East Tournament
Mar 8, 2017 8:30 pm, FS1	(10)	vs. (7) Xavier First round	L 64–75	9–23	16 – Garrett Jr.	11 – McCallum	4 – Garrett Jr.	Madison Square Garden (14,830) New York City, NY
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

References

1. Ecker, Danny (November 16, 2016). "DePaul strikes arena naming rights deal with Wintrust". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
2. Pope, LaMond. "DePaul to open new downtown arena against longtime rival Notre Dame". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
3. "Villanova Picked Unanimously Again To Win In Preseason Coaches' Poll". Big East Conference. Retrieved 2017-02-08.