DePaul will bring back a familiar face — Dave Leitao.
From 2002-05, Leitao was the men's basketball coach at DePaul. During his three years there, he led the Blue Demons to two NIT trips and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
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“Following our search that garnered high-level national interest, we are excited to announce that Dave Leitao is our next men’s basketball coach,” said athletics director Jean Lenti Ponsetto in a written statement. “His success here speaks for itself with three postseason appearances in three years with teams that energized our alumni and fans with their competitiveness and work ethic. When he left in 2005, we recognized that it is the nature of our business that dynamic coaches get recruited away. Now we are pleased to welcome Dave, his wife Joyce and their family back to Lincoln Park with great enthusiasm for his leadership and the future development of our men’s basketball program.”
After his time with DePaul, Leitao went on to coach Virginia. He had some early success, being named the 2007 ACC Coach of the Year, but struggled in his last season, finishing with a 10-18 record. Since then, he went on to coach in the NBA D-League and spent time as an assistant with Missouri and, most recently, Tulane.
The Chicago Tribune reported Saturday the school interviewed Bryce Drew and Bobby Hurley over the weekend. Hurley recently agreed to a deal in principle with Buffalo, but didn't sign the contract because he had an interview scheduled with DePaul. With the Blue Demons' minds made up, Hurley will likely sign his deal with Buffalo.
The Blue Demons finished 12-20 (6-12 Big East) this season. Former coach Oliver Purnell resigned earlier this month.