What do you get when you take a legendary coach and surround him with a frontline of talented players that is virtually unmatched in college basketball?  Throw in a point guard that loves to distribute the ball to big guys.  Well for the DePaul Blue Demons you have a pretty good team.  The fans from Chicago get to witness Coach Ray Meyer’s unbelievable accumulation of talent on a daily basis.  The Blue Demons featured the supernatural front court of George Mikan, Terry Cummings and Mark Aguirre.  This may be the greatest trio of big men playing together in the world.   And with sophomore stud Rod Strickland getting them the ball, the Blue Demons excel in dominating teams in the paint.  Sometimes, what occurs, is there are not enough basketballs in the gym for this much talent.       

Leading the way up front for DePaul for one more year will be senior center George Mikan.  Mikan is a physically dominant player.  Mr. Basketball uses his six foot ten inch frame well.  He can score down low or from about 15 feet in with a variety of hook shots and push shots.  He is strong as an ox and impossible to contain.  When Mikan arrived at DePaul four years ago from just up the road in Joliet he was just a big corn fed kid with horned rimmed glasses, little confidence and only one redeeming quality.  Size.  Meyer made him the game’s greatest project and had him start working on drills to help with his dexterity around the basket.  The now famous Mikan (yes that is how big of an impact he has had) drill had the big man shoot mini hook shots from both sides of the hoop back and forth until they became part of his muscle memory.  His confidence grew and by the end of his Sophomore year he was the most dominant big man in the country.  This Senior big man has made a huge impact on the game of basketball itself and may be the most popular player in the Midwest.  His ability to swat away shots at the rim changed the game as the rules officials had to incorporate a goaltending rule so that you cannot mess with the ball in the cylinder.  Still, he dominates others physically on both ends and is hugely popular drawing huge throngs of fans wherever the Demons go.  He has become quite unselfish and has left part of the scoring responsibility to his teammates while he does what it takes to win.  Don’t get me wrong Mikan still scored his fair share and was a mighty presence in the middle.  Still, he does have a problem with players who can match up with him physically and he is not the quickest guy around.  Mikan has done it all in college basketball except for winning the national title but he has one more shot to achieve his biggest goal.   Junior Dave Corzine gives Mikan as solid a backup as there is in the country at the center position.  A 6’11 245 pounder from Arlington Heights (one of the many suburbs of Chitown) this kid has benefitted immensely from banging down low with Mikan.  He would almost assuredly start for two thirds of the teams in the country and many more but he is stuck behind the magnificent Mikan.  At least for one more year.  You might think this team would go twin towers (especially in the home of the skyscraper) but Meyer has two forwards that fit their position perfectly and give the Demons more diversity in their lineup.  The Blue Demons will always be remembered as the team that had Goerge Mikan and wherever he goes people will stop and stare at this gentle giant with the funny glasses and marvel at that they got to see ‘The Man’ in person. 

Who are these two forwards that we referred to earlier and why are they special?  Sophomore Mark Aguirre is as gifted of a post player from the small forward as has been seen.  He is unstoppable down low with his array of shots and ability to back anyone down.  He has more of an offensive repertoire than even Mikan.  He can also hit a 15 footer consistently and his defense and rebounding are improving (when he wants them to).  He definitely needs the ball and is not afraid to tell you.  The strange thing about Aguirre is that he can be the most selfish player on the planet at times but this highly recruited local hero is learning that to win he has to be part of a team.  Coming in as the top recruit Chicago there were high expectations and he proved right away he could live up to them.  At least on the offensive end.  He may not be as popular as Mikan in the Midwest but in Chicago he is the Man.  He has the kind of street game cred that this City is famous for.  And when he is not trying to win games all by himself (he must like the Underdog role better than the favorite role) he is one heck of a player.    

Fellow Sophomore Terry Cummings is of the same mold as Aguirre.  An incredible low post player who can also rebound and block shots, he would seem the perfect complement to Aguirre and Mikan.  The truth is that all three of these guys (all three are homegrown Chicago talent as well BTW) need the ball to be productive.  All are low post mainstays (though Mikan and Aguirre both learned to operate quite effectively in the high post for the better of the team) and none of them are really complimentary players.  Talent does not always equal victories and Cummings proved more than anyone that you better have the desire to win and not just eat up statistics.   Cummings finally figured this out and became a team player (most of the time) and sacrificed some stats for the wins.  This was a huge step for the supremely gifted power forward.  It might have been the game versus Maryland that did this.  His matchup with Buck Williams of Maryland was highly anticipated and TC got the better of Williams statistically scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 boards.  Williams only scored 8 points and grabbed 9 boards but his tipin at the buzzer (over Cummings by the way) won the game

for the Terrapins.  Cummings was more dedicated after this and really stepped up into his role. His future is bright in Chicago and he and Aguirre and Corzine still leave the Demons with one heck of a front line.           

Rod Strickland is the perfect point guard for the Blue Demons.  A super quick ball handler who loves to pass but can also blow by you and go to the hoop if you do not stop him, Strickland led the team in minutes played.  This Bronx kid also knows how to distribute the ball to the low post which with these three inside is a must and is nowhere as easy as it looks.  He has a bit of a flair to him and does not mind to shake and bake though he is fundamentally sound and is consistent.  Strickland is gifted defensively but like his teammates can take plays off and can be beaten.  His intensity is not always high but when he is motivated there is none better at getting his teammates the ball.  The Blue Demons would not have had a chance without Strickland running the show and it was his presence and dominance over the other team’s point guards that led to the victories over Houston, Purdue, BYU and Florida.  His only real weakness is an inconsistent jump shot.  The Blue Demons had problems with outside shooting all season.  Strickland was truly a superb point guard who did not get his due all year with his more ballyhooed teammates eating up all the press.  He is however the straw that stirs this drink. 

The only weak point to this starting five is shooting guard.  For a lineup that seemed to be almost perfect there was one obvious weakness and the Blue Devils needed somebody who could shoot the rock.  Meyer has several options including Seniors Ron Sobiescyzyk, Dick Triptow, Ron Feiereirsol and Howie Carl (though he is more of a pg, but that spot is full), Juniors Gary Garland and Ron Norwood and sophomore Terrence Greene and Skip Dillard.  Sobie, at 6’3 and like his fellow seniors hailing from Chicago, is the returning starter and will get first crack but he is not the most athletic guy in the world and will have a hard time keeping his job. Feiereirsol is also 6’3 and more inside than out but will compete whereas Carl is only 5’9 and has little chance of playing much in his final year here.  Triptow is only 6’0 himself but the best shooter of the group and that is what this means more than anything.  Meyer actually went outside the Windy City to get Norwood and Garland, who came from East Orange New Jersey in a package deal with sophomore Clyde Bradshaw, who traversed west a year later.  This trio could easily start together for the Blue Demons and sooner rather later as Norwood brings the kind of athleticism this team needs on the wing.  Garland is a 6’4 stud who can flat score and defend.  How will you know if this kid wants to dance with somebody?  Bradshaw barely played last year as Strickland was just better but will see more than just JV soon enough especially after senior Emmette Bryant graduated.  Bryant is a 6’1 Chicago kid who is perfect off the bench and brings leadership and athleticism to the point.  He actually never started here as he backed up Carl for two years brings much to the table.  

The role players for this team are so talented they could probably start for half the teams in America.  George’s brother Ed is another Joliet kid (don’t call him Jake) who had a few games that he was unstoppable.  The two games Mikan missed he scored more than 20 points and grabbed ten boards in each and blocked five plus shots but he was not taking the place of the legend.  Until next year!  At six eight and 230 plus he brings size and toughness but lost his backup role to Corzine who is not be that far of a step down from Mikan.  Corzine is arguably the best backup big man in the country and Ed used to be.  Bill Robinzine, Tyrone Corbin and Dallas Comegys are all solid players who helped out in their defined roles.  Robinzine is a hard-working power forward who stepped aside when Cummings took over and became a great backup.  His attitude and ability to push his teammates was huge to the success of the team.  He is not afraid to mix it up but was a little undersized for the four.  Meyer loved having guys as good as Robinzine and Corzine (poet and don’t know it) to be able to come in the starters ( and that they did) and even better pushing them every day in practice.  They had some great competition at each position.  Speaking of pushing the starter, the player who really had impact was sophomore forward Tyrone Corbin.  Corbin is a great athlete who is not as skilled as Aguirre but has the work ethic he would die for.  He does whatever it takes to contribute and had many shining moments for this team.  He rebounds, can hit an open jumper and even played some two for a while.  Unselfish almost to a fault he truly understands what is expected of him and is the ultimate teammate. Whenever he was in this was a better team.  His play in the tourney was inspirational.  His cup dunk against Wake Forest may have been the biggest play of the year for the Demons and led to their great comeback.  If Aguirre does not come back for another run (the wolves are howling) Corbin is a pretty good replacement.  Comegys was a JV stud lost in the shuffle who goes 6’9 and would start on many teams but is caught in the shuffle of this talented front court.  Junior Curtis Watkins only goes 6’6 and is a tweener forward and played more as a freshman, before Aguirre arrived.  These guys will not get many minutes but will be ready when called upon. 

The DePaul Blue Demons have as much talent, especially up front, as any team in the Midwest and are one of the favorites to win the new super league dubbed Conference USA.  Led by superstar George Mikan and a pair of sophomore stud forwards, Ray Meyer’s Chicago (and we do mean Chicago with 4/5 of the roster hailing from the Windy City) team looks to finally not get upset in the Big Dance and make it to the promised-land of Indiana in March.  Mikan has been a huge presence in college basketball and this program has the team to at least get that far but they do have on Achillies heel.  The Blue Demons need to find some wings who can shoot and defend other athletes.  Meyer has finally left the friendly confines of Chicago to find some players to fill this void and if he has succeeded, the sky is the limit for this team who plays in the epicenter of large buildings.  Can you imagine the party on Rush Street if these Demons finally do cut down the nets in early April?  The only thing that would supersede that of course is a Cubs World Series title and that is about as likely as the Bears finding a quality QB so all hopes are on the boys from Rosemont.