Its a damn shame. I grew up on Altgeld and Racine and still live in LP to this day. All the players on the good teams back in the 80's used to be my counselors at Fred's camp at Depaul campus and alumni hall. Hell I was at the last ever mens game at alumni hall and I remember Brett Blizzard lighting Q, Bobby Simmons and company up. Its downright pathetic how hard the program has fallen. I dont think its acceptable and there are no excuses. In fact to try and knock some sense into the program I created a group on facebook. I have been quite surprised to hear no mentions of Craig Robinson as a possible replacement and here is my groups statement. If you agree then please join it and invite other to join and at least it will let the dumb president know that Depaul isnt what she thinks it is.

The program is as dead as Demon Dogs and that's been gone for a few years now.

"Welcome to the group that is going to bring some sense into the idiots that run the Depaul Mens Basketball program including the President of the university, the athletic director, the boosters of the men basketball program and anyone who works for this fallen program.

What was once one of the elite national college basketball programs, Depaul was a force on the Chicago sports circuit. During the early 80's there wasn't a more consistent program that took full advantage of the fact that the best High School basketball talent in the country was in their own backyard and scattered throughout the state. Depaul fever was alive and well and the men's basketball program brought entertainment to a city that loves basketball.

Then during the late 80's and early 90's they fell off the map again only to resurface in the late 90's when the coach and his recruiters worked the backyard and took in top 10 recruiting classes a couple years that resulted in a few tourney appearances. Pat Kennedy was then removed from the program and Depaul switched over to the mighty Big East. It was a perfect marriage because going into the big conference was just another selling point to the recruits on top of the basketball tradition, amazing campus location in the heart of the city, new student athletic facility, constant exposure playing in the big east in the city of Chicago.

Now Depaul has fallen harder than the economy and the program is a disgrace. Illinois St. and Northwestern are doing a much better job with their programs than Depaul is and that's a joke. There are kids from all over Chicago that are playing at programs outside the state and at other Illinois schools. They cant get themselves a good five or even three or four star recruit if their lives depended on it. Its downright pathetic that with everything they have to offer and the huge crop of talent in this state and out they cant do a damn thing. Do the recruiters and coaches at Depaul know about the New England Prep School Athletic Conference aka NEPSAC? If they did then maybe we would get some players that could come in and play right away. You need to recruit the state hard but also the rest of the country. Craig Robinson has Chicago roots but played on the east coast. The list of players that the NEPSAC produces every year in college and the pros is ridiculous and the players are the best from all around the country tht come to make the grades and play against the best and be seen by the best programs. So they dont rank these teams in high school basketball rankings for the country. I know firsthand having attending one that was a factory for D1 talent

Where and who the hell are they recruiting? How could you not sell the Depaul program to a major recruit let alone some of these great players that flood the mid major programs? Is it because you have driven it to being less than a D-2 school?

Depauls current coach and system like to use the excuse that they had a great program builder in Wilson Chandler but that he jumped for the NBA early...WTF?!?!?!?!?! Hello people? this is college basketball you shouldn't expect a player to stay for longer than one year especially if that player is an amazing player who makes your program better with his NBA talent. Memphis loses a Chicago kid and star in Derrick Rose and they reload with Tyreke Evans...this is what good programs do. They don't finally get one good player and think hes staying until hes a veteran. You assume your losing every starter and go out and recruit and reload.

So in the end it starts with the head coach. If you want to be a top notch program than you better get that head coach that can coach and recruit. Somebody who is known on the trail and can relate and speak to a young recruit and convince him and his family that Depaul is right for him. But not just that the coach also has to make it work. They need to be able to develop talent and be able to have his players relate and look at him as more than just their college basketball coach.

The man for the job is none other than Oregon st. coach Craig Robinson. You may know the 6"6 1979 Mt. Carmel graduate and two time Ivy league player of the year as President Barack Obama's brother in law. I cant think of a better coach to lure to the program than the Chicago native who can relate to today's kids (hes not that old) and recruit the hell out of the state and NEPSAC and bring Depaul basketball back to being more than just competitive but successful.

Can you give me one reason on why this wouldn't be not only a great move to improve the program but to also bring some GOOD media attention and publicity back to it which it dearly needs. This team has yet to win a big east game this year. If Craig Robinson, the balling partner and bro-in-law of the man every young person in this country looks up to cant bring back Depaul basketball than the school might as well throw out the basketball program for prop 48.

Right now he has a program in Oregon St. that is near the bottom of the Pac-10 as far as bball programs go and has them at a respectable 13-13 with a few wins over ranked teams. Depaul would be a step up from Oregon St. and the Big East is better than the Pac-10. Not to mention that the difference in level of talent in and around Oregon and the west coast isn't even close to Chicago and the surrounding Midwest.

Vote Craig Robinson for Depaul in 2010!!!!!!!!!"

Join the group

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CHIBBQKING Where it starts and ends with food/sports and Chicago

Isn't Craig Robinson the guy from The Office?

I don't think Craig Robinson wants to do that to himself.

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