DePaul University introduced Oliver Purnell as the next men’s basketball coach at a Tuesday afternoon press conference.
DePaul University introduced Oliver Purnell as the next men’s basketball coach at a Tuesday afternoon press conference. Purnell is the second full-time Black head coach at DePaul. He replaces Tracy Webster, who was named interim coach after the school fired Jerry Wainwright on January 11. Under Wainright, the Blue Demons won only one Big East game in two seasons. Purnell led Clemson to six straight postseason appearances – including three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances – in his seven seasons with Tigers. His .694 (93-41) winning percentage over the last four seasons is ranked third in the ACC with only Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and North Carolina’s Roy Williams posting higher winning percentages in that span. Prior to accepting the Clemson job, he held coaching stints at Dayton (1994-2003), Old Dominion (1991-94) and Radford (1988-91). He took both Dayton and Old Dominion to the NCAA tournament. Media reports say Purnell, who was 138-90 in seven seasons at Clemson, has agreed to a seven-year deal worth more than $15 million, which included a buyout from Clemson. “Oliver Purnell is to be commended for his outstanding contributions to our basketball program, athletic department and University community over the last seven years,” said Clemson athletic director Dr. Terry Don Phillips. “He is one of the most respected coaches in college basketball and one of the most respected people on this campus and we hate to see him leave. “When he came to Clemson we had not been to a postseason tournament in four consecutive years. Now we join National Champion Duke as the only ACC schools to play in the NCAA Tournament each of the last three years. We have had a winning record in the ACC three consecutive years, a first in our history, and won at least 20 games four consecutive years, another first. “Oliver did things the right way, he never cut corners and he was professional in every undertaking,” said Phillips. “He recruited student-athletes with high character. His graduation rate for his first four classes (that entered from 2003-04 through 2006-07) will be 78 percent when the current seniors graduate in a few weeks. Copyright 2010 Associated Press
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