| | By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPN.com
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Friday, Oct. 13
Pat Kennedy lost a superstar in Quentin Richardson and is expected to have a better team. That's a tough one to explain, and
it probably is flat wrong.
DePaul is a team that can go either way; the Blue Demons can be a very good team, or they can be average. With
experience on the roster for the first time, Kennedy has some players who should be able to understand what it takes to be a consistent winner.
I ranked DePaul in the Top 25 last season because of Quentin Richardson and do so this season because of depth and experience. It will be interesting to see if DePaul has a "depth of experience" to draw upon, or if the experience just turns out to be numbers on a page.
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Frontcourt
Bobby Simmons has long been referred to as the best prospect on the Blue Demons. And because of his long, lean build, he has been compared to Scottie Pippen.
Simmons is an outstanding college player and will probably be an NBA performer, but the
Pippen comparison has hurt this kid. Simmons, a 6-foot-7 junior, is a very good offensive player (13.1 ppg) who can shoot it from the perimeter or put the ball on the floor. He is not consistent in his scoring or his shooting, and he needs to develop a go-to attitude and begin to take over on the court.
Simmons is a very good rebounder and passer, who can play inside and out. He played very well on
the U.S. Under 20 National Team, but he was the victim of some bad calls in the
gold medal game that kept him on the bench.
The big question for Simmons, other than leadership, is whether he can guard on the perimeter well enough to make it
as a pro. First, he needs to do it in college.
Steven Hunter proved to be the most underrated prospect from the 1999 high school class. The 6-11 center averaged 8.5 points and shot 58 percent from the floor, while showing good athleticism and the ability to block shots. Hunter is mobile, quick off his feet and can catch and finish. If he gets stronger, with his ability to catch the ball in traffic and change ends, Hunter can be a force in
Conference USA.
Kennedy also brings in an outstanding prospect in 6-9 power forward Andre Brown, who chose DePaul over Michigan. Brown is a
smashmouth power player who played on the USA World team this summer. He has a nice jump hook, can rebound and will be a very good player for this team.
Johnathan Oden, a 6-8 power forward who sat out last season, is an athletic
player who is a good leaper and can play the post. Oden is a shot-blocker
who can run and has very good hands.
|  | | Bobby Simmons won't replace "Q", but is a player DePaul can lean on for offense this season. |
Backcourt
Kennedy landed freshman phenom Imari Sawyer, perhaps the most talented point guard in last year's high school class. Sawyer is
athletic and skilled, but he needs to learn to play with other people and pick his spots. Sawyer will contribute right away but will not unseat Rashon Burno at the point.
Burno is a quick guard who is not a big scorer but is one of the best defenders in the league. Burno (6.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 4.6 apg)
is a great on-the-ball defender whose pressure sets the tone for his team's
defensive effort.
Joe Tulley is a good shooter who struggled with the adjustment to college ball but should be improved. George Baker is an athlete who can handle the ball, run the floor and defend.
Bottom Line
The Blue Demons are questionable in spots, especially without Richardson. If Simmons steps forward as a star
and Sawyer turns out to be a special freshman, DePaul will earn a return trip to the NCAA Tournament and compete for the title in an improved Conference USA. DePaul has size and talent but needs to find high level
consistency. | |
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