DePaul Blue Demons
Overall Rank: #28
Conference Rank: #2 Big East
DePaul missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. With everybody back who averaged over ten minutes per game, the Blue Demons are poised to start a new tournament streak. Coach Doug Bruno has also boosted his team’s depth by bringing in a couple transfers and a couple talented freshmen. Having Connecticut in the Big East will likely keep DePaul from winning the Big East, but this group should be the other team to beat in the conference.
2020-21 Record: 14-10, 11-5
2020-21 Postseason: WNIT
Coach: Doug Bruno
Coach Record: 382-145 at DePaul, 731-357 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Nadege Jean, Forward, 2.2 ppg
Kiara Dallmann, Forward, 1.0 ppg
Jolene Daninger, Guard, 0.8 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Sonya Morris, Senior, Guard, 19.3 ppg
Lexi Held, Senior, Guard, 16.6 ppg
Deja Church, Senior, Guard, 13.3 ppg
Dee Bekelja, Senior, Guard, 12.5 ppg
Darrione Rogers, Sophomore, Guard, 9.5 ppg
Jorie Allen, Junior, Forward, 8.7 ppg
Kendall Holmes, Freshman, Guard, 4.0 ppg
Hannah Purcell, Junior, Forward, 1.1 ppg
Kayla Caudle, Junior, Forward, 0.9 ppg
Keke Rimmer, Sophomore, Guard, dnp last season
Key New Players
Kaitlyn Ammons, Freshman, Forward
Kierra Collier, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Drake
Aneesah Morrow, Freshman, Forward
Nazlah Morrow, Junior, Forward, JC Transfer
Projection:
Sonya Morris and Lexi Held were the top scorers last season. Morris led the way with 19.3 points and added 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Held added 16.6 points, 3.8 assists and 3.1 steals. Those two are effective outside shooters and can put up big numbers in the scoring column in a hurry. Deja Church, Dee Bekelja and Darione Rogers can knock down plenty of shots too. All three are more than capable of averaging double digits. Rogers is a very promising sophomore who could take a big step forward in 2021-2022, although she may not find more minutes. The backcourt also brings in Kierra Collier from Drake. She averaged 11.7 points and 4.2 assists per game with the Bulldogs a season ago. The frontcourt will again revolve around Jorie Allen, who averaged 8.7 points and 4.9 rebounds. Junior college transfer Nazlah Morrow and incoming freshman Aneesah Morrow will add some much needed depth in the frontcourt. The Blue Demons were gashed on the glass in 2020-2021 and that should be less of an issue now that there is a bit more size on the roster.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 81.5 (8th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 78.4 (332, 11)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.0 (96, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 47.9 (336, 11)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.8 (15, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.2 (123, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 76.5 (21, 2)
Rebound Margin: -5.3 (296, 9)
Assists Per Game: 16.6 (17, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.2 (78, 4)
Madness 2021 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#64 Aneesah Morrow
