DePaul Will Retain Purnell After Abysmal Season
(CBS) DePaul will retain basketball coach Oliver Purnell despite going 11-20 and finishing last (or tied for last) in the Big East for the sixth straight season, athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto told the Chicago Tribune.
"When he came here we talked about taking four or five years to get it turned and to get the caliber of student-athlete we want in the program," Lenti Ponsetto said, according to the Tribune. "It's definitely a rebuild, this process that we're in, and we're going to stay the course, recruit, just get better and execute."
Purnell is four years into a seven-year deal. DePaul was 11-20, 3-15 in the Big East this season.
"We have some outstanding young talent in this program and we're excited about the talent coming in," Lenti Ponsetto said. "I'm proud of our seniors. They made such a great commitment, they stayed the course. This team has had a lot of adversity and a lot to overcome. … We've been a team all season long that has had no margin for error and there has been a lot of adversity the coaching staff has had to manage."
