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According to a source of SNY's Adam Zagoria, DePaul's coaching job is "Ben Howland's to turn down". DePaul has a few other guys in the mix, but Howland appears to be their top choice.
Source: DePaul job is 'Ben Howland's to turn down.' Also in mix (or trying to be): Bryce Drew, John Giannini, Steve Masiello, Bobby Hurley.
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 20, 2015
When we took a look at the best options for DePaul's next coach earlier, Howland was the first name on the list. Our own Cam Newton had the following to say about Howland:
Of all of the coaches whose names have been brought up in the time since Purnell's resignation was announced, Howland is the most prestigious. Howland took UCLA to three straight Final Fours in the mid-2000's and was questionably fired after the 2013 season, but he was also able to coach some of the best current NBA players, such as Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook. Before that, however, Howland coached in the Big East, leading Pittsburgh to two straight Sweet Sixteens and a Big East regular season and tournament championship in 2003.
Howland is a proven winner and I think he is the only coach who is older that DePaul should really consider. The Blue Demons are looking for someone who is young to bring energy back into the program, but Howland can still do that at age 57. His success has been proven and players would certainly love to come play for a coach who has shown that he can turn players into stars. A look at the list of players he has coached that are currently in the NBA proves that point exactly.
It goes without saying that Howland is familiar with the conference and he has made it no secret that he wants to return to coaching after being a commentator for NBC Sports for the past few years. His prestige may require a bit of money, but I think that a price tag is hard to put on revival. He is a coach that has proven his ability and his track record is certainly something that can be an excellent recruiting tool to use around Chicago.