# 2016–17 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team

The 2016–17 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team represented DePaul University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They played almost all of their home games at Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, though they scheduled two regular-season games at the considerably smaller McGrath–Phillips Arena, the regular home of the DePaul women's team, on the school's Chicago campus. The Blue Demons, members of the Big East Conference, were led by head coach Dave Leitao, in the second year of his current tenure and fifth overall at DePaul. They finished the season 9–23, 2–16 in Big East play to finish in last place. They lost in the first round of the Big East tournament to Xavier.
The season marked the Blue Demons' final season at Allstate Arena. DePaul moved both its men's and women's teams into the new Wintrust Arena on Chicago's Near South Side. The Blue Demons opened the arena with a game against Notre Dame on November 11, 2017.

## Previous season

The Blue Demons finished the 2015–16 season 9–22, 3–15 in Big East play to finish in ninth place. They lost to Georgetown in the first round of the Big East tournament.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Tommy Hamilton IV | 2 | C | 6'11" | 255 | Junior | Chicago, IL | Left the team for personal reasons |
| Rashaun Stimage | 3 | F | 6'8" | 217 | Senior | Chicago, IL | Graduated |
| Myke Henry | 4 | F | 6'6" | 228 | RS Senior | Chicago, IL | Graduated |
| David Molinari | 10 | G | 6'0" | 185 | Senior | Peoria, IL | Graduated |
| Develle Phillips | 12 | F | 6'9" | 210 | Senior | Bowie, MD | Transferred to Odessa College |
| Cory Dolins | 13 | G | 6'0" | 182 | Senior | Northbrook, IL | Graduated |
| Frederick Scott | 14 | F | 6'7" | 235 | Freshman | Munster, IN | Transferred to Rider |
| Aaron Simpson | 15 | G | 5'11" | 152 | Senior | North Chicago, IL | Graduated |
| Oumar Barry | 25 | F | 6'10" | 226 | Freshman | Camp Springs, MD | Transferred to Iowa Western CC |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Austin Grandstaff | 2 | G | 6'4" | 188 | Sophomore | Rockwall, TX | Transferred from Ohio State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Grandstaff will have to sit out the 2016–17 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. |
| Tre'Darius McCallum | 10 | F | 6'7" | 215 | Junior | Myrtle Beach, SC | Junior college transferred from Indian Hills Community College. |
| Max Strus | 31 | G | 6'6" | 215 | Junior | Hickory Hills, IL | Transferred from Lewis. Under NCAA transfer rules, Strus will have to sit out the 2016–17 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |
| Chris Harrison-Docks | 51 | G | 6'0" | 175 | RS Senior | Okemos, MI | Transferred from Western Kentucky. Harrison-Docks will be eligible to play immediately since Harrison-Docks graduated from Western Kentucky. |

### 2016 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Al Eichelberger #52 PF | Saginaw, MI | Saginaw High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Nov 9, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Brandon Cyrus #51 SG | La Porte, IN | La Lumiere School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Nov 10, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Devin Gage PG | Chicago, IL | Curie High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jun 19, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Levi Cook C | Arnett, WV | Elev8 Basketball Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 260 lb (120 kg) | Apr 5, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 DePaul Signees". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. "2016 DePaul Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. ||||||

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Justin Roberts #31 PG | Indianapolis, IN | Pike High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jun 13, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 DePaul Signees". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. "2017 DePaul Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. |||||||

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| John Diener SG | Cedarburg, WI | Cedarburg High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | May 4, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 DePaul Signees". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. "2018 DePaul Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. |||||||

## Preseason

Prior to the season, DePaul was picked to finish last in a poll of Big East coaches.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 4, 2016* 8:00 pm | | Rockhurst | W 79–53 | | 26 – Garrett Jr. | 11 – Cook | 4 – Garrett Jr. | McGrath–Phillips Arena (1,615) Chicago, IL |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 13, 2016* 6:00 pm, FS1 | | Robert Morris | W 78–72 | 1–0 | 21 – Cain | 8 – McCallum | 6 – McCallum | McGrath–Phillips Arena (2,330) Chicago, IL |
| Nov 17, 2016* 7:30 pm, FS1 | | Rutgers Gavitt Tipoff Games | L 59–66 | 1–1 | 24 – Cain | 9 – McCallum | 4 – McCallum | Allstate Arena (4,057) Rosemont, IL |
| Nov 20, 2016* 12:30 pm, FS1 | | Milwaukee | W 77–59 | 2–1 | 20 – Garrett Jr. | 6 – Garrett Jr. | 6 – Garrett Jr. | Allstate Arena (4,518) Rosemont, IL |
| Nov 23, 2016* 7:00 pm, FSN/WCIU | | Missouri State | W 68–66 | 3–1 | 23 – Garrett Jr. | 12 – McCallum | 3 – Garrett Jr. | Allstate Arena (4,387) Rosemont, IL |
| Nov 30, 2016* 7:30 pm, FSN/WCIU | | Drake | W 77–75 | 4–1 | 19 – Cain | 8 – Cyrus | 4 – Tied | Allstate Arena (2,091) Rosemont, IL |
| Dec 3, 2016* 6:00 pm, BTN | | at Northwestern | L 64–80 | 4–2 | 15 – Wood | 8 – Wood | 3 – Garrett Jr. | Welsh-Ryan Arena (6,751) Evanston, IL |
| Dec 6, 2016* 8:00 pm, FSN/WCIU | | Lamar | W 80–61 | 5–2 | 21 – Cain | 10 – McCallum | 2 – Tied | Allstate Arena (4,516) Rosemont, IL |
| Dec 10, 2016* 11:00 am, ESPNU | | vs. Temple Hoophall Miami Invitational | L 65–74 | 5–3 | 17 – Cain | 7 – Cain | 2 – Cain | American Airlines Arena (2,152) Miami, FL |
| Dec 14, 2016* 7:00 pm, FS1 | | UIC | L 75–80 | 5–4 | 27 – Cain | 12 – Hanel | 3 – Garrett Jr. | McGrath–Phillips Arena (2,099) Chicago, IL |
| Dec 17, 2016* 1:00 pm, FS1 | | Chicago State Las Vegas Classic | W 109–61 | 6–4 | 31 – Cain | 12 – McCallum | 5 – Garrett Jr. | Allstate Arena (4,592) Rosemont, IL |
| Dec 19, 2016* 8:00 pm, FS1 | | Southeast Missouri State Las Vegas Classic | W 81–78 | 7–4 | 19 – Garrett Jr. | 8 – Hanel | 8 – Garrett Jr. | Allstate Arena (4,377) Rosemont, IL |
| Dec 22, 2016* 7:00 pm, FS1 | | vs. Wyoming Las Vegas Classic semifinals | L 58–72 | 7–5 | 18 – McCallum | 6 – McCallum | 1 – 4 tied | Orleans Arena Paradise, NV |
| Dec 23, 2016* 7:30 pm, FS1 | | vs. Missouri State Las Vegas Classic 3rd place game | L 58–69 | 7–6 | 16 – Garrett Jr. | 7 – McCallum | 3 – Cain | Orleans Arena Paradise, NV |
| Big East Conference regular season |||||||||
| Dec 28, 2016 5:30 pm, FS1 | | at No. 1 Villanova | L 65–68 | 7–7 (0–1) | 19 – McCallum | 7 – McCallum | 4 – Tied | The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA |
| Jan 1, 2017 1:00 pm, FS1 | | St. John's | L 73–79 | 7–8 (0–2) | 18 – Cain | 9 – McCallum | 3 – Tied | Allstate Arena (5,152) Rosemont, IL |
| Jan 7, 2017 11:00 am, CBSSN | | at Seton Hall | L 56–87 | 7–9 (0–3) | 22 – Garrett Jr. | 9 – Cyrus | 1 – 4 tied | Prudential Center (7,797) Newark, NJ |
| Jan 10, 2017 8:00 pm, FS1 | | Providence | W 64–63 | 8–9 (1–3) | 14 – Garrett Jr. | 8 – McCallum | 5 – Garrett Jr. | Allstate Arena (4,641) Rosemont, IL |
| Jan 14, 2017 1:00 pm, FSN/WCIU | | at Marquette | L 58–83 | 8–10 (1–4) | 12 – Garrett Jr. | 6 – Hanel | 3 – Cain | BMO Harris Bradley Center (13,832) Milwaukee, WI |
| Jan 16, 2017 3:30 pm, FS1 | | at St. John's MLK Day Marathon | L 68–78 | 8–11 (1–5) | 16 – Garrett Jr. | 10 – McCallum | 5 – Tied | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| Jan 21, 2017 1:00 pm, FS1 | | No. 13 Butler | L 69–70 $^{OT}$ | 8–12 (1–6) | 32 – Cain | 11 – McCallum | 4 – Cain | Allstate Arena (6,713) Rosemont, IL |
| Jan 28, 2017 1:30 pm, FS1 | | at No. 16 Creighton | L 66–83 | 8–13 (1–7) | 18 – Garrett Jr. | 9 – Hanel | 5 – Cain | CenturyLink Center (17,611) Omaha, NE |
| Jan 31, 2017 8:15 pm, FS1 | | Georgetown | L 73–76 | 8–14 (1–8) | 25 – Garrett Jr. | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Allstate Arena (5,455) Rosemont, IL |
| Feb 4, 2017 1:00 pm, FS1 | | Marquette | L 79–92 | 8–15 (1–9) | 21 – McCallum | 7 – McCallum | 7 – Cain | Allstate Arena (8,392) Rosemont, IL |
| Feb 8, 2017 5:30 pm, FS1 | | at No. 24 Xavier | L 61–72 | 8–16 (1–10) | 18 – Cyrus | 6 – Cyrus | 4 – Cain | Cintas Center (10,250) Cincinnati, OH |
| Feb 11, 2017 1:00 pm, FS1 | | No. 23 Creighton | L 58–93 | 8–17 (1–1) | 15 – Harrison-Docks | 7 – Hanel | 3 – Cain | Allstate Arena (6,409) Rosemont, IL |
| Feb 13, 2017 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | No. 2 Villanova | L 62–75 | 8–18 (1–12) | 18 – Harrison-Docks | 8 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Allstate Arena (6,963) Rosemont, IL |
| Feb 19, 2017 12:30 pm, FS1 | | at No. 24 Butler | L 66–82 | 8–19 (1–13) | 24 – Cain | 6 – Tied | 3 – Cain | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN |
| Feb 22, 2017 6:05 pm, CBSSN | | at Georgetown | W 67–65 | 9–19 (2–13) | 15 – Garrett Jr. | 7 – McCallum | 4 – Garrett Jr. | Verizon Center (7,896) Washington, D.C. |
| Feb 25, 2017 1:00 pm, FSN/WCIU | | Seton Hall | L 79–82 | 9–20 (2–14) | 26 – Garrett Jr. | 6 – Cain | 6 – Garrett Jr. | Allstate Arena (5,144) Rosemont, IL |
| Feb 28, 2017 7:30 pm, FS1 | | at Providence | L 64–73 | 9–21 (2–15) | 12 – Tied | 7 – McCallum | 4 – Tied | Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,101) Providence, RI |
| Mar 4, 2017 1:00 pm, FSN/WCIU | | Xavier | L 65–79 | 9–22 (2–16) | 17 – Garrett Jr. | 7 – Tied | 3 – Cain | Allstate Arena (6,774) Rosemont, IL |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| Mar 8, 2017 8:30 pm, FS1 | (10) | vs. (7) Xavier First round | L 64–75 | 9–23 | 16 – Garrett Jr. | 11 – McCallum | 4 – Garrett Jr. | Madison Square Garden (14,830) New York City, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||