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W. Mich.'s Hawkins first to talk with DePaul

April 20, 2005

BY TONI GINNETTI Staff Reporter




DePaul has received permission to interview Western Michigan basketball coach Steve Hawkins, among the first to be considered for the Blue Demons' vacancy.

Hawkins, 42, spoke by telephone briefly with DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto late Monday. Western Michigan athletic director Kathy Beauregard had granted permission earlier in the day as DePaul's search began to replace Dave Leitao, who resigned Friday to become Virginia's coach.

Hawkins has strong Illinois ties, having spent nine seasons as head coach at Quincy University, where he was a four-time Division II coach of the year. He has been at Western Michigan for two seasons, compiling a 46-17 record and going to the NCAA tournament in 2004.

Hawkins was one of the first coaches to recruit Michigan standout Wilson Chandler before the 6-7 Benton Harbor product blossomed last season and won Michigan's Mr. Basketball title. Chandler committed to DePaul in November and has said he will honor the commitment despite Leitao's departure.

Other candidates will be interviewed in a process that could be completed in less than the two-week time period Lenti Ponsetto first estimated Monday.

In addition to Hawkins, Bowling Green's Dan Dakich, Ohio's Tim O'Shea, Creighton's Dana Altman and Utah's Ray Giacoletti are expected to be on DePaul's short list. Former UCLA coach Steve Lavin, now an ESPN analyst, also could be considered if the school expands its search.

But others could emerge from among those who have called the school asking to be considered. Sources say some of those calls have come from intermediaries of recognizable coaches.

A committee consisting of faculty and athletic department officials is consulting with Lenti Ponsetto on the search, and DePaul players also will have some input. But the final decision will be made by Lenti Ponsetto and the university president, the Rev. Dennis Holstschneider.

I'd be pissed if Depaul was seriously considering hiring Dakich just on the surface of whats known about whats been going on here at BG at this point. If I as an Depaul Alum heard about all of these transfers from BG to other schools I'd be really concerned. I still can't actually believe that DD is still a real canidate for the job. DD has not warranted intrest for a coaching job at a school the caliber of Depaul, maybaye Prairie View College somewhere but not Depaul in my opinion.

TONI GINNETTI Staff Reporter wrote:
In addition to Hawkins, Bowling Green's Dan Dakich, Ohio's Tim O'Shea, Creighton's Dana Altman and Utah's Ray Giacoletti are expected to be on DePaul's short list. Former UCLA coach Steve Lavin, now an ESPN analyst, also could be considered if the school expands its search.

Altman and Giacoletti would not be making big jumps if they took that job. But it's an interesting way for Lavin to gel his way back into the game.

Someone from the MAC should take that job.

falconboy wrote:I'd be pissed if Depaul was seriously considering hiring Dakich just on the surface of whats known about whats been going on here at BG at this point. If I as an Depaul Alum heard about all of these transfers from BG to other schools I'd be really concerned. I still can't actually believe that DD is still a real canidate for the job. DD has not warranted intrest for a coaching job at a school the caliber of Depaul, maybaye Prairie View College somewhere but not Depaul in my opinion.

DePaul and their fans and their media must just be wrong..,

The DePaul job should absolutly be either Steve Lavin's or Fran Fraschilla's, they are the best candidates available not already with a team. Both are too good a coach to be in television, and both got raw deals at their respective schools. With DePaul moving to the Big East, this is the perfect job for one of these men to get back into major conference coaching. With Matt Doherty taking the Florida Atlantic job I'm surprised we didn't hear his name at least a little with DePaul. Am I the only one that prefers if Dan Dakich stays here?....I mean people are acting as if we went 8-20 last season. Players transfer, it happens, get over it. DD has won alot of games.

But has never won the big one to get us dancing. Look around at the different sports and I think you'll notice a majority of them are moving in a positive direction (sans Men's Soccer). I really think this season will the one that defines Dakich's future with BG.

You could easily make the case that Dan has been screwed out of a NCAA tourney bid or two. He put together a couple of teams that were good enough to be in, but the selection nazis overlooked us to invite virtually the entire Big 10.

Is it his fault that the MAC gets one bid? Sure, you could argue that leaving it up to the selection nazis was his fault and that the team should have taken care of business at the MAC tournament, but saying a coach has to win his league tournament to make the NCAA and therefore be successful is setting the bar a good bit higher than it is for coaches in other mid major conferences