If the numbers are correct, what has happened to DePaul over the last 15 years is an absolute disaster. DePaul's endowment is approximately $600 million dollars, whereas Loyola's is approximately $750 million. DePaul has squandered every major opportunity they have been given.
Approximate $4 million from TV to secure a winning coach and invest in the program - FAIL.
Opportunity to make their mark in a major conference - FAIL.
Free state-of-the-art arena to re-engage fans and energize their alumni base - FAIL.
Ability to recruit local talent in a world-class basketball city to create a winning program - FAIL.
Playing in a major conference with multiple bids each year with a realistic expectation to make the NCAA tournament - FAIL.
I'm sure if DePaul fans read this post, they would probably have a slew of bad things to say about Loyola, but the fact is -- Loyola has done way more in the past 15 years with way less. DePaul was lucky enough to get an invite to a major conference, and since then, they've completely squandered every opportunity at every corner to elevate their program. DePaul fans would probably try to scream about our attendance -- but the fact is, if we were playing in a conference with "big name" schools, our attendance would be relatively the same, if not better than theirs. They get a lot of bump from people coming to see them play good schools -- they're not coming to see THEM.
And excuses are extremely hard to make when there is an extremely comparable program to them with the same issues, who has thrived in Marquette. Marquette has a comparable endowment of $700 million, and they play in the same conference with the same amount of TV revenue. They have an enrollment of approximately 12,000, which is a little more than half of DePaul's enrollment of approximately 23,000. They play in an NBA arena off-campus (although admittedly not as far away as Wintrust) in a major city. They compete in recruiting against a Big 10 school (Wisconsin), who is similar to DePaul competing for recruits with University of Illinois. Despite this, Marquette has figured out away to secure quality coaches, consistently make the NCAA tournament, and elevate their mid-major school's status to a national reputation.
I'm not picking on DePaul's fans -- Being a fan is tough and the ones that are left -- I respect them for sticking around. My critique is of DePaul's administration who repeatedly and continually fumbled the ball.
I think DePaul is a cautionary tale of "be careful what you wish for." Don't get me wrong - the Big East is an AMAZING conference. When we were both losers, I definitely had a fair amount of jealousy that DePaul was in the Big East and we were in the Horizon -- BUT -- being a loser is still being a loser, no matter what conference you are in. When we made our glorious run and rumors would pop up like, "Maybe Loyola could go to the AAC or the A-12," I immediately think of DePaul... There is something to be said about "right-sizing." At this point in our program's status:
- I would rather play in Gentile and sell out 5 or 6 games in a 5,000 seat arena, then consistently play in a 10,500 seat arena at half-capacity;
- I would rather go 14-4 or 12-6 every year in the MVC with a chance at getting hot in the conference tournament and getting an NCAA bid, then go 4-14 in the Big East and have my team flying all over the east side of the country.
If they are getting 4 million a year to spend on basketball and spending it on the program -- they've gotten 0 results on that investment. If they are banking the money in exchange for taking beatdowns every year in the Big East, okay. But if I was a DePaul fan at this point, I'd want the university to start talking to the AAC, A-12, or MVC about coming in and being their "Big Dog," and start rebuilding the program from the ground up. If they're taking 4 million and spending 4 million - what are they gaining? If it's not money... they are really mismanaging their program. If it is money -- I feel bad that their fans have to endure mediocrity at the hands of an administration who doesn't care about them.
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