DePaul Hires Oliver In Unexpected Twist

After waiting over a month to fill their head coaching vacancy, DePaul has finally done so, hiring Oliver Purnell away from Clemson. (Photo courtesy of clemsontigers.com)

DePaul University has finally ended the coaching carousel in the Big East, several months after they started it by dismissing head coach Jerry Wainwright halfway through this past season. The Blue Demons named Oliver Purnell as their new coach yesterday, and the 56-year-old who has gone to six NCAA Tournaments in his career now faces the task of resurrecting a program that has gone 1-35 in the Big East over the last two years.

"It's a super job," said Purnell, the former head man at Radford, Old Dominion, Dayton, and most recently, Clemson. "They are very, very committed to restoring a tradition." Purnell, who replaces interim coach Tracy Webster, comes into Chicago on the heels of taking the Tigers to three straight NCAA Tournaments. However, he has never advanced into the second round at any time in his career.

The move by DePaul, who will pay Purnell just over $2 million a year for seven years, comes one week after fellow Big East schools Seton Hall and St. John's introduced their new head coaches last Wednesday. The Pirates hired Kevin Willard to replace Bobby Gonzalez, while St. John's made a splash nationwide by luring former UCLA coach and ESPN/ABC analyst Steve Lavin back to the bench to succeed Norm Roberts.