Don't fall for the hype. Be excited. Set your expectations low. This is the year we beat Marquette.

Where will the bar be for DePaul men's basketball, considering the team basically came from nothing? First, head coach Chris Holtmann said The DePaulia It would take some time in May to figure out the team's identity, and the decision would have to be made before The DePaulia's basketball preview.

The matter is clear, and I believe that this ambiguity was partly intentional. Holtmann didn't reveal what the product will look like on the pitch; you have to find out for yourself. Learn more about what he and his team are looking forward to in the men's basketball preview on page 4.

Holtmann and his coaching staff work hard to build not only their team's culture, but DePaul's athletic culture as well. Holtman said The DePaulia In September, he plans to buy food for the student section for every win after taking a photo with the section and his players. Although he has a track record of success over the past few years, his staff wants to make sure the team gets past the first step – winning games – before they can pose for the camera. You can read more about the highly decorated and extensive coaching staff that Holtmann has assembled on page 6.

While I would advocate a clean slate in terms of expectations from a fan perspective, it's hard not to be excited about several players on the DePaul roster, especially given the personnel deficiencies in recent years. Sophomore Layden Blocker is an exciting, explosive guard who transferred from a top-ranked SEC program, while 6-foot-1 graduate student David Skogman shot 47% from behind the three-point line last season at Davidson College. In total there are 14 new personalities that you can get to know in the “white” DePaul team.

One of them, redshirt junior guard Conor Enright, brings a mix of leadership and entertainment that has made for plenty of high-profile basketball and team jokes. Look for this story on page 7.

DePaul women's basketball has also endured a summer of adjustments that has turned the resident Big East contender on its head. Head coach Doug Bruno has experience health complications in September and was not with the team as it prepared for the season. There is no timetable for his return.

However, we know that we can expect at least a few things from the team. Jorie Allen, entering her fifth year at DePaul, is their undisputed leader. She opened the preseason with a 19-point performance against Lewis University on October 18. Learn more about her mentorship and recruitment for her final year at DePaul on page 12.

The team has six freshmen and two transfers and is preparing for life after Allen. One of those transfer players, junior guard Taylor Johnson-Matthews, shared her story of resilience and relentless pursuit of the game she loves with The DePaulia on Page 3.

The women's basketball preview, led by interim head coach Jill Pizzotti's confidence and preparedness, can be found on page 8.

The landscape of DePaul sports required changes in personnel, coaching and, most importantly, culture. The administration is invested in the sustained success of its athletics program and is taking major steps as part of its five-year strategic plan launched in 2021.

Administration opinion states: “While this plan will certainly drive athletic success, more importantly, it will improve national visibility, brand recognition and affinity for DePaul, each consistent with the university's overall goals of enrollment, student success and philanthropy.” To increase support.”

This statement within the strategic plan represents a larger movement to invest in the increasingly profitable world of sports to improve the overall health of the university. Low enrollment is a problem for DePaul and many other schools across the country.

The investment in sports has paid off for several schools. It could be better facilities or players that make the difference, but DePaul stands behind their latest big, long-term addition to the program – Chris Holtman.

Having a coach as the face of a program worked wonders for the University of Colorado Boulder enrollmenta university whose enrollment increased from about 55,000 applicants for the 2022 school year to 69,000 for 2024 after Deion Sanders was hired as head football coach. In the year before he was hired, the number of applicants fell.

It is inevitable that success in athletics increases brand visibility, and DePaul is leveraging its place in the increasingly competitive and coveted Big East Conference to work toward that recognition.

Maybe Holtmann will be a means to achieving those goals, but just because he had success at Butler and Ohio State in recent years doesn't mean it will work in Lincoln Park. We are no longer in the past and know absolutely nothing about how a DePaul player will perform under Holtmann, who has not coached any of these players before.

So don't expect anything this season. Don't expect a big surprise. Don't expect this big winning streak. Something like that may happen, but the win alone won't mean much to the basketball culture at DePaul.

What's important for this program is for more eyes and ears to see and hear DePaul basketball in a non-embarrassing way — Not because they lost by 40 points, but because they challenged the Big East's powerhouses and presented themselves as a future threat to the rest of the conference. That alone would be a win for Holtmann and DePaul University.

Similar stories:

DePaul introduces Chris Holtmann as its next men's basketball head coach

Doug Bruno completes 50 years as a coach and is ready for more

After Knudsen's OK, the new basketball practice facility is one step closer

Stay up to date with The DePaulia's top stories.
delivered to your inbox every Monday.