I went to Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago, IL. Mt. Carmel is a very good academic school, but it is also very into athletics. Hardly a week went by without the Mighty Caravan playing an important game of some sort. I like sports (at least) as much as the next guy, but after graduation, I looked forward to college, where sports wouldn’t be so overwhelming.
I entered DePaul slightly after they hit their basketball high. In 1979, they reached the Final Four in the NCAA tournament. During my stay at DePaul, the Blue Demons were successful, but not great, making the tournament each year and even winning a few games. They were not serious contenders, but at least they were in the field of 64.
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Now, 20+ years later, I wouldn’t mind seeing DePaul a bit more concerned about their athletic success. Their 2008-09 season was another dismal one. They finished in 16th place (dead last) in the Big East conference, with a 9-24 record. This wasn’t good enough for any tournament play, obviously.
Most of my high school friends went to Illinois, who was a five seed (although they lost in the first round) in the tourney. Other friends went to Kansas, Michigan and Marquette, all teams in the tourney, not to mention fellow GT staffer Kim Krol’s Syracuse Orange.
Once again, I am left to watch the tournament with no rooting interest. Oh sure, I’ll end up cheering for some team, but probably just for the sake of my brackets. Despite the potential winnings (strictly pride, as money wouldn’t be gambled), it will be a hollow tournament.
The frustrating part is that there is no reason for DePaul to be so bad. As a major university in a great city, DePaul should experience more success. They should have ridden that Final Four appearance to sustained excellence. Instead, it is viewed as a “Cinderella” season.
Making matters even worse is that my nephew Matt is currently attending DePaul. I can’t even live vicariously through him! This leaves my niece Sam, a high school junior. She is still undecided on her choice for a college, but I think Duke, North Carolina, Memphis or UConn would be good options!
-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist
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