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Isiah Thomas Reportedly Wants DePaul; Please Let This Happen

Apr 2, 2010, 4:25 PM UTC

â†µâ†µThe DePaul job, which feels like it’s been open for about two years, might finally be progressing toward a hire. The school interviewed former New Mexico State coach Reggie Theus on Thursday. The interview went well according to ESPN’s Andy Katz. But wait! There is a wild-card entry into the DePaul coaching race: Isiah Thomas, according to the Chicago Tribune.â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥Isiah Thomas is interested in the vacant DePaul coaching position, a source close to the Hall of Fame guard told the Tribune on Thursday.â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥Thomas is the head coach at Florida International University and has a recruiting class that has been rated as high as 17th nationally. The source insists Thomas would be able to steer those recruits to DePaul if he were offered the job.â†µâ‡¥

â†µâ†µThis. Must. Happen. â†µâ†µAs it stands, Thomas is doing his act away from the spotlight. When he was in New York, we got to hear about his every bizarre move. At FIU, there probably isn’t even an AP writer at every game. But at DePaul? In the Chicago media market? Imagine this incident going down on Big Monday on ESPN. We’d get to see a full-blown Isiah meltdown in HD and on a loop.â†µ

â†µâ†µI would hope, for the sake of DePaul fans, that this is a one-way street when it comes to interest. FIU wasn’t good before Isiah Thomas’ arrival and didn’t exactly making a big leap this year, going 7-25 while trying to replace some of its top players from the previous seasons. This was a transition year. He has a highly touted, top 50 recruit -- Dominique Ferguson -- coming to campus next season. But while Thomas might be able to pull together a bit of a reclamation job, you already know Theus has done it, so his hire makes a little more sense. (It’s not as much fun, but you can see the logic.)â†µ

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â†µWhile some in the Chicago media still believe DePaul should be able to do better than Theus, Steve Rosenbloom offers a pointed criticism of the school and why this hire is doomed before it's even announced:â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥It’s not necessarily that former Bull Reggie Theus, now on the Minnesota Timberwolves bench, is the wrong choice. In fact, he has an resume that includes turning around a New Mexico State program. But so what? The point is, anyone DePaul hires will be the wrong choice because DePaul has no idea what it is -- a mid-major, at best, not Big East-caliber.â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥DePaul is an urban school with high admission standards expected to recruit an urban area with a bad school system, and even if it does get a couple urban kids, the neighborhood has to drive to the suburbs to watch them play. The situation is unwinnable and the Lincoln Park wonks appear unchangeable.’â†µâ‡¥
â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥[...] DePaul is a steppingstone, not a destination. Right now, it is the worst kind of steppingstone -- the kind where other programs know it’s a hopeless situation and actually give you credit for losing. Credit or pity. â†µâ‡¥

â†µâ†µâ†µThis paints a tough picture for DePaul. Established coaches laugh at them. Upcoming coaches would probably just assume avoid DePaul, because it’s more of a temporary payday than a way to advance your career. That leaves them with someone like Theus. They could do worse, I suppose. They could always hire Isiah. That would delight me to no end. (Sorry, DePaul fans.)â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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