DePaul’s top-six finish in the Big East last season was the program’s best regular-season finish as a member of the conference. It is no secret that the Blue Demons have had a tough time since joining the Big East. The road does not get any easier this year with a much stronger conference on paper. However, in year three under Coach Chris Holtmann, DePaul will look to build on their relative success from last season and defy the odds with another top-six finish.
DePaul Looks to Build From Their Best Big East Finish
Departing Players
Holtmann’s offseason began as an uphill battle after losing nine players from last year’s roster. Four of those players started over 50% of DePaul’s games, beginning with leading scorer CJ Gunn, who averaged 13 points and 4 rebounds per game. Holtmann then lost his leading rebounder, NJ Benson, who averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds per game. Brandon Maclin averaged 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. RJ Smith transferred to UC Santa Barbara after averaging 7 points per game. Holtmann also had to replace key reserve Kaleb Banks, who averaged 5 points and 3 rebounds per game.
Returning Players
Although DePaul lost four graduating seniors and five players to the portal, not all is lost. Holtmann retained starting guard Layden Blocker, who led DePaul in minutes, assists, and steals. Forward Théo Pierre-Justin started double-digit games and led the Blue Demons in three-point percentage at 39.7%. After a true freshman season in which he appeared in 28 games, former consensus four-star recruit Kruz McClure will return to DePaul looking to make a big jump this year. To round out the impact returnees, 7-2 Fabián Flores, who appeared in 28 games, and Amsal Delalić, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, will also return.
Recruits
Holtmann had three recruits in this year’s class, headlined by three-star forward Noah Smith. Smith is the No. 4-ranked recruit in the state of Indiana. He most notably held offers from Xavier and Oklahoma State. Along with Smith, the Blue Demons added shooting guard Mason Lockett, who also received an offer from Xavier, and power forward Andrew Jensen. Jensen received offers from Illinois, Marquette, Northwestern, and West Virginia.
Portal
Holtmann’s most notable additions this offseason came through the portal, where he added six new players. Among those six players was a top-100 transfer portal target and 2024-25 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, Magoon Gwath.
After a strong redshirt freshman season, Gwath entered the NBA Draft before deciding to return to San Diego State. Last season was a bit of a letdown for Gwath, as he came into it recovering from knee surgery. He averaged 9 points, 2 blocks, and 4 rebounds per game. The Blue Demons will be banking on Gwath to take a major jump this year and start to reach his uber-high ceiling.
Holtmann then added Ade Popoola, who started every game for Tulsa last season as a strong three-and-D player, shooting 41% from three and averaging 11 points and 4 rebounds per game. Staying on brand, DePaul added another three-and-D player, Koree Cotton, from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Cotton shot 40% from three while averaging 14 points and 5 rebounds per game. DePaul then added Southern Conference first-team member and Wofford scoring standout Kahmare Holmes. Holmes was a volume scorer last year, averaging 20 points and 6 rebounds per game while shooting 48% from the floor.
To shore up their backcourt, DePaul added Arizona State transfer guard Noah Meeusen, who played 28 games last season and started 11. Meeusen averaged 6 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds per game. For Holtmann’s final portal addition, he brought in center Wilson Jacques, a rebounding machine who started every game for Fresno State as a freshman. Jacques, who is listed at 7 feet and 264 pounds, averaged 9 points and 9 rebounds per game.
Depth Chart and Years of Eligibility
- PG: Blocker (1 year), Meeusen (2 years), Nate Kasher (3 years).
- SG: Holmes (2 years), McClure (3 years), Delalić (3 years).
- SF: Popoola (1 year), Cotton (1 year).
- PF: Gwath (2 years), Pierre-Justin (2 years).
- C: Jacques (3 years), Flores (3 years).
Redshirt: Jensen (4 years), Lockett (4 years), Smith (4 years).
The Last Word on DePaul Looks to Build From Their Best Big East Finish
With four new projected starters, Holtmann has built an entirely new squad at DePaul, one that, on paper, seems stronger than last year’s lineup. Although DePaul added a lot of talent, questions remain. The questions start at the point guard position. Blocker will be surrounded by shooters and scorers this year. Can he limit his turnovers and create enough opportunities for the scorers around him?
Next, with a full, healthy offseason, can Gwath start to grow into his ceiling? DePaul added one transfer from a Power Five school. Will Holmes’ and Cotton’s mid-major production translate to the Big East? Expecting another top-six finish in the Big East from this DePaul team is a tall order. If Blocker and Gwath make significant progress and Holmes and Cotton put up numbers similar to last season’s, it is entirely possible DePaul could find themselves in the top six again.
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