When former San Diego State forward Magoon Gwath entered the transfer portal in the spring, DePaul’s Chris Holtmann was the first coach to call the 7-footer.
Holtmann and his staff entered the portal window with a mindset to be aggressive. DePaul has been able to shrink the gap in roster spending with the Big East’s middle tier of spenders. But Holtmann knew if it reached the point of a bidding war for some of his targets, it might not go in the Blue Demons’ favor.
So he jumped on convincing the players whom he believed they realistically could bring to Lincoln Park and who would add positional size and two-way versatility. Gwath, the Mountain West freshman and defensive player of the year in 2024-25, was looking for a change of scenery — a program in which he could develop his body and grow as a passer and shooter in a structured offense. Holtmann gave him confidence he could do that.
Gwath also spoke with athletic director DeWayne Peevy about the bigger-picture goals at DePaul, which has improved from three wins in 2023-24 — the season before Holtmann arrived — to 16-16 and 8-12 in the Big East last season.
“Just how much they’ve invested and what they’re trying to accomplish, I feel like it would be pretty cool to be a part of that,” Gwath said.
Gwath became the biggest name in a six-player transfer class that On3.com ranked No. 20 in the country and that also included Tulsa shooter Ade Popoola and Wofford guard Kahmare Holmes.
Their arrival has continued to raise expectations for the Blue Demons, who moved up in the KenPom rankings from No. 304 before Holtmann arrived to No. 122 in his first season and No. 99 in Year 2.
Holtmann believes the next step for the program — to get into the top 60 or 70 — will be its most challenging yet. It’s complicated by a potentially stronger Big East, beyond elite teams Connecticut and St. John’s, and a few tough nonconference games, including against Purdue and Saint Louis.
DePaul lost top scorers CJ Gunn (Missouri) and NJ Benson (Georgetown), who are seeking a fifth season of eligibility elsewhere, and Holtmann said the Blue Demons must improve in the margins to get to the next level. That includes such areas as turnover and rebounding percentage and 2- and 3-point field-goal percentage.
He hopes they will shoot better this season after hitting 43.5% from the field as a team and 32.5% from 3-point range and ranking 208th in KenPom’s offensive efficiency rating. Popoola, who made 99 3s last season at Tulsa, helps with that mission.
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Holtmann thinks Gwath has the potential to be a 36% to 40% 3-point shooter, too, though he was limited this summer while recovering from a previous injury before getting back to full strength about a month ago.
Adding so many newcomers to a returning group that includes guards Layden Blocker and Kruz McClure, forward Théo Pierre-Justin and center Fabián Flores meant the Blue Demons had to focus more on teamwide teaching than individual development this offseason.
Holtmann and his veterans had to instill the program’s defensive identity, which was a strength last season (No. 32 in defensive efficiency). Adding Gwath, who had 68 blocks as a freshman and 37 as a sophomore and moves well, certainly boosts that goal, and Gwath thinks the team’s length and experience should help on defense.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” said Blocker, who averaged 11.1 points and 3.5 assists last season. “It’s still early, but it’s great trying to get everybody on the same page because last year I felt like that’s what we were known for. … I’m just trying to tell the guys and lead the guys by example that this is the culture, this is how we play — hard-nosed on the defensive end.”
As Holtmann works to advance a program that doesn’t have a winning record against any Big East team since 2010, he added his own financial backing to the mix.
Holtmann agreed to a contract extension through 2031 shortly after the season, but over the summer, he approached Peevy with another idea after talking it over with his wife. He offered to give a portion of his salary over the final three years of his contract back to DePaul to help boost its name, image and likeness funds. He didn’t reveal the exact figure but put it as more than $200,000 and less than $1 million.
“I appreciate the fact that we’re still climbing the ladder when it comes to this NIL thing,” Holtmann said. “We’re not where anybody wants to be … but the efforts that have been put in have been appreciated. And this is a tangible way for me to say, ‘Hey, we’re in this thing together and let’s try to move it forward.’”
The Blue Demons have other things going for them in getting players on board. DePaul recently broke ground on a $42.4 million basketball practice facility in Lincoln Park. Holtmann said he mentioned to other coaches during Big East meetings in the spring that his team shares its current facility with other sports programs, and the coaches were shocked.
As for roster costs, Holtmann figures there always will be a bit of a pecking order in the Big East. The Blue Demons aren’t going to spend like UConn, St. John’s or Villanova. But that doesn’t mean they can’t strive to get closer to the middle of the conference, and he thinks they’re “pushing toward” where they need to be with NIL funds.
Holtmann said he has done more in support of fundraising at DePaul than he did in seven years at Ohio State. It’s more of a requirement of the job. He recognizes there can be fatigue among donors, and he feels pressure to continue performing to keep them interested and provide hope.
“For sure you feel that to continue to move this thing forward,” Holtmann said. “And I also recognize how hard this next jump is going to be. I believe it’s the biggest challenge in front of us.”
Loyola
Ramblers coach Drew Valentine embarked on a major rebuild after returning only two letterwinners: Xavier Amos and Nic Anderson. Amos, a forward from Young who previously played at Northern Illinois and Wisconsin, was second in scoring with 11.1 points per game and averaged 4.3 rebounds for a Loyola team that finished 9-24 and 4-14 in the Atlantic 10.
Top scorer and rebounder Miles Rubin, the former Simeon star, transferred to Tennessee. But the Ramblers have welcomed back guard Jayden Dawson, who played last season at Kansas after three years at Loyola.
Dawson was one of about 90 athletes whom an Indiana court granted a preliminary injunction to become temporarily eligible. He’s involved in one of several lawsuits challenging the NCAA’s five-in-five eligibility rules that excluded outgoing players who had used four years of eligibility.
UIC
The Flames are looking to build on a 19-win season under coach Rob Ehsan in which they advanced to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament final and made the NIT field. UIC returns four of the top five scorers from that group, including guard Ahmad Henderson II, a Brother Rice graduate who averaged 12 points and 2.3 assists last season.
Ehsan brought in a five-player freshman class to go with a stable of transfers. Returning guards Mekhi Lowery, Andy Johnson and Rashund Washington Jr. joined Henderson on the MVC’s preseason watch list.