The Blue Demons have finished last in the Big East for five consecutive seasons and haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament in 17 years.
After leading DePaul’s men’s basketball team to five consecutive last-place finishes in the Big East, coach Dave Leitao was fired Monday, the school announced. “After evaluating where our men’s basketball program is currently and where we envision it to be moving forward, a decision was made to make a change in the head coaching position,” athletic director DeWayne Peevy said in a statement. “We want to thank Dave for his many contributions to the program, including his mentorship of our student athletes on and off the floor, his commitment to DEI efforts within our athletics department and support of our university-wide Vincentian mission. We will conduct a national search beginning immediately for our next head coach. I’m committed to elevating our program to where we are still competing during this time of year.” Leitao,60, was in his second stint as DePaul coach. He was re-hired in 2015 by former athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto in a controversial move, which proved disastrous on and off the court, leading to NCAA sanctions.
