DePaul University

Nov. 2, 2012

Game Notes: DePaul | Lewis
Live Stats: GameTracker

CHICAGO - DePaul plays its lone exhibition game of the 2012-13 preseason Saturday night against the Lewis Flyers. The game is the second half of a DePaul basketball exhibition doubleheader with the women's team facing Illinois Wesleyan at 5 p.m. Both games will be at McGrath-Phillips Arena on DePaul's Lincoln Park campus.

The Flyers posted an overall record of 17-12 last season and held an 8-10 record in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Saturday is the third exhibition game for the Flyers with a 79-47 loss at Illinois on Oct. 27 and a 79-66 loss at Indiana State on Nov. 1.

A year ago, Cleveland Melvin scored 33 points to lead DePaul to a 70-63 win at McGrath-Phillips Arena. Two seasons ago, the Flyers knocked off the Blue Demons, 70-68, in an exhibition game.

The Blue Demons open the 2012-13 regular season on Friday, Nov. 9 against UC Riverside. The opener is scheduled for an 8 p.m. start at McGrath-Phillips Arena and the game can be heard live on WSCR 670 The Score in Chicago with Zach Zaidman and Jeff Blanzy calling all the action. The game will also be available online on BlueTube at www.depaulbluedemons.com.

What's Back: Entering the 2012-13 season, DePaul returns nine players including four that started at least 15 games a year ago. Headlining the returners are juniors Cleveland Melvin, Moses Morgan and Brandon Young. The trio serve as the top three returning scorers as head coach Oliver Purnell welcomes back six of the top seven scorers from last season. Other top returners include senior Worrel Clahar, junior Donnavan Kirk and sophomores Jamee Crockett, Charles McKinney and Derrell Robertson Jr.

Melvin - the 2011 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year - is the league's top returning scorer after averaging 17.5 points per game in 2011-12. His scoring average last season was ranked sixth in the BIG EAST and he was also ranked 12th with a team-high 7.4 rebounds per outing. Young was second on the team with 14.5 points per game along with a team-high 147 assists during his sophomore campaign. The duo was ranked among the top scoring sophomore twosomes all season with a combined 32 points per game. Young is the first DePaul player since Rod Strickland (1985-88) to record at least 100 assists in each of his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Overall, the Blue Demons return nearly 84 percent of the scoring, 79 percent of the rebounding and just over 77 percent of the minutes played from last season.

What's New: A total of seven newcomers are on the 2012-13 DePaul roster including six freshmen and a graduate student. The rookie class includes  Montray Clemons (Baltimore, Md.), Cory Dolins (Skokie, Ill.), DeJuan Marrerro (Gary, Ind.), Durrell McDonald (Henderson, Nev.), Jodan Price (Beverly Hills, Mich.) and Peter Ryckbosch (Chicago, Ill.). Stuart Pirri (Metairie, La.) joins DePaul this season as a graduate student after playing two seasons at Rice (2009-11).

Clemons joined the program prior to the start of last season but missed the entire 2011-12 campaign after suffering a knee injury at the start of practice in October.

Dolins, Ryckbosch and Pirri will be walk-ons this season along with junior Edwind McGhee. Ryckbosch is the son of Lisa Ryckbosch on the DePaul women's basketball staff.

Locally Grown: The 2012-13 DePaul roster features five players from the state of Illinois. Among those five are Chicagoland natives Jamee Crockett, Cory Dolins, Charles McKinney and Peter Ryckbosch. The fifth Illinois native is Champaign's Edwind McGhee.

Eight states are represented on DePaul's roster with Indiana (DeJuan Marrero), Louisiana (Stuart Pirri), Maryland (Montray Clemons, Cleveland Melvin, Brandon Young), Michigan (Donnavan Kirk, Jodan Price), Mississippi (Derrell Robertson Jr.), New York (Worrel Clahar) and Nevada (Durrell McDonald, Moses Morgan) joining DePaul's home state of Illinois.

Noting the Blue Demons: The men's basketball program is 1,384-880 (.611) all-time... the Blue Demons have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 579 straight games... DePaul's last game without a three was Feb. 16, 1993 against UAB at Allstate Arena... the Blue Demons are 311-141 (.688) all-time at Allstate Arena and 6-1 (.857) all-time at McGrath-Phillips Arena... the Blue Demons currently hold a seven-game winning streak against Chicagoland programs that includes victories over Chicago State, UIC, Loyola-Chicago and Northern Illinois... in each of Oliver Purnell's two seasons at DePaul, the Blue Demons have faced three Chicagoland opponents during the non-conference portion of the schedule with wins in each meeting... DePaul used nine different starting lineups in 2011-12 with every non-injured scholarship player starting at least one game.

Three Decades in Rosemont: DePaul enters its 33rd season in 2012-13 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. The Blue Demons are 311-141 (.688) all-time in Rosemont. DePaul University played its first season at the then-named Rosemont Horizon in 1980. The Blue Demons debuted in Rosemont with a 74-56 win over Gonzaga and John Stockton on Dec. 1, 1980.

Pre-Conference Action: DePaul is scheduled to play in the Cancun Challenge and SEC/BIG EAST Challenge during the non-conference portion of the schedule.

The Blue Demons play two games at Allstate Arena on Nov. 15 and 17 before traveling to Cancun for two more games on Nov. 20 and 21. Joining DePaul in Riviera Division for play in Cancun is Iowa, Western Kentucky and Wichita State. DePaul will host two teams from the Mayan Division (Austin Peay, Gardner-Webb, Howard and Western Carolina) at Allstate Arena.

DePaul travels to Auburn for the 2012 SEC/BIG EAST Challenge on Nov. 30. The Blue Demons and Tigers square-off at Auburn Arena on the second day of the three-day event that features 12 games between BIG EAST and SEC programs.

BIG EAST Home and Away Opponents Announced: The BIG EAST announced home and away opponent for the 2012-13 season with the Blue Demons playing Connecticut, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and St. John's twice next season.

In addition to the four two-play teams, the Blue Demons also host Cincinnati, Louisville, Rutgers, Seton Hall and Villanova while traveling to Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, USF and Syracuse.

Who's Next: DePaul hosts UC Riverside to open the 2012-13 regular season on Friday, Nov. 9 at McGrath-Phillips Arena... the game is the third of a DePaul basketball tripleheader... the women's team hosts the Maggie Dixon Classic with Dayton and Mississippi Valley State playing at 3 p.m. followed by DePaul and Nicholls State at 5:30 p.m.... DePaul and UC Riverside are schedule to start at approximately 8 p.m.... UC Riverside went 14-17 overall and 7-9 in the Big West last season... Friday is the first meeting between the two programs.