DePaul University Athletics
It's Been Quite a Journey to Senior Day
3/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO ââ'¬" They came from different parts of the country to coalesce in Lincoln Park with the common goal of helping return a proud and time-honored college basketball tradition to its glory days when it stood among the nation's elite.
Myke Henry transferred in after playing two seasons at Illinois, sitting out the 2013-14 season in compliance with NCAA rules. Aaron Simpson came here after two junior college seasons at Lincoln (Ill.) College. Rashaun Stimage played at Blinn College in Texas and Daytona (Fla.) State College before transferring to DePaul. David Molinari donned a Blue Demon uniform for the final two years of his collegiate career after starting out at Illinois Wesleyan.
It was a homecoming for Henry (Orr), Simpson (North Chicago) and Stimage (Farragut) who were among the best in the Chicago area during their high school careers.
As the three of them along with Molinari and Cory Dolins step onto the Allstate Arena court for the final time on Saturday, Blue Demon fans will recall some of their memorable moments and contributions to the program on Senior Day.
Simpson scored a career-high 20 points against Florida State last November and took down a career-high eight rebounds versus Northwestern a month later. In that Florida State game, Simpson also recorded career highs in baskets with seven and three-pointers with five.
Henry led DePaul to a big upset of Stanford in November of 2014 with a career-high 29 points. He matched a career high with 12 field goals against then-No. 11 Providence last month while scoring a season-high 27 points and snatched a career-best 12 rebounds versus Marquette in January. There was the memorable stretch earlier this season with 17 out of 18 games in double-figure scoring.
Stimage won't soon forget the career-best 15 points in January at Seton Hall, the career-high nine rebounds against Marquette last month or the five blocked shots last December at Drake. Both Dolins and Molinari have pushed the regulars to the limit during practices and primed them for opposing teams with their all-out hustle and scrappy play on the scout team.
Here are snapshots of each senior heading into their final home game against Seton Hall.
It's no wonder this gregarious guard is known as the top jokester on the team. There is an entertaining side to this fun-loving guard that almost led him to a television show audition.
"I was going to audition for a part in the TV show 'Empire' last summer, but the Chicago auditions took place the day we left on our trip to France," Simpson said. "I was all set to try out for the role of this guy who is a friend of a main character. I don't have any formal training, but I did perform in a choir in high school. I like to entertain people, and I love the attention.
"I know DePaul has an excellent theatre school, but I wouldn't have time for it with all the basketball activities. I went to two plays and it was really dope. I was envious watching them perform onstage because it looked like a lot of fun.
"Doing video makes some people nervous and tentative, but I love the TV camera. If you're not going to show all of you, what's the point? Since I was young, I've been in the bright lights because of basketball. If there's another opportunity, I would definitely audition for a part in a TV show."
Simpson does his best to lighten the mood in any situation, sometimes acting like all the world's his stage.
"I am always laughing, joking, and I'm a high-energy guy that lifts people's spirits," he said. "Kevin Edwards and Patrick Sellers from our basketball staff are always saying: 'You need a TV show.' They say I am quick-witted and think I could do stand-up comedy. Kevin and I joke a lot every day.
"I crack jokes 24/7 and help keep us loose. I'll say crazy things to pick guys up. I'm always going and never stop. When our team gets down attitude-wise, I try to be uplifting by bringing energy and cracking jokes. I don't like sadness."
Those last four words say a lot about Simpson. Going beneath the surface of that smiley face and happy talk can reveal a more serious and personal side.
"Josh Simpson was my first cousin and we became real close when I was 11 and he was 16," Aaron said. "I was just starting to understand life. He would always come over to our house and hang out. One time when he was a little older, he showed us his new car. For us kids, he was like our big brother.
"We would talk about basketball, jokes and girls. He was so energetic and full of life, always laughing and joking. At family gatherings, he would light up a room with his personality. Everything that came out of his mouth reminded you of Will Smith. I tried to be like him as a happy-go-lucky free spirit who could make other people laugh.
"The summer when I was 15, Josh stayed with us for two weeks. I remember one time before he dropped me off at AAU practice, we said that we're both going to make it someday. We'll have one big ol' house and be rich.
"After dropping me off, Josh went down to Lake Michigan with some friends. They heard screaming and saw two people drowning. Josh jumped in and pulled the first person to safety and then went back for the second one. They both survived, but the current had become too strong and Josh drowned after saving them. They were both complete strangers, and they both came to the funeral."
Simpson was at AAU practice when the tragedy struck.
"My brother came and pulled me out of practice," Simpson recalled in a soft voice. "He said Josh had drowned saving two people. I was just talking to him two hours ago, and now he's gone? I cried myself to sleep that night and didn't touch a basketball for two weeks. Eventually, I began to feel my way around back into life.
"I still think about it. He was only 20 years old with his whole life ahead of him. But when he saw people in trouble, he didn't hesitate. The way he died, being a hero, that's all you can ask for. Saving someone's life---that's all you can ask for.
"Maybe that's why I joke a lot. Maybe I can be like him because he is still living inside of me. Josh's mom tells me that I act like Josh and once said: 'You remind me so much of my son.' I feel Josh's presence when she says that. In a way, I'm trying to carry on Josh's legacy."
Simpson cherishes his two years in Lincoln Park.
"Even though we're having an up-and-down year, I am blessed to be here," Simpson said. "It's great motivation to be competing in the BIG EAST, and I'm looking forward to us figuring things out. When I was in junior college, not in my wildest dreams did I think I'd one day be playing against the No. 1 team in the country like our Villanova game. And now I can always say that my team beat the No. 11 team (Providence) in the country.
"Improving my academics was the biggest thing. DePaul has been pushing me to put as much effort into study table as a basketball game. I'm going to work hard at my craft after college, learn and use it to my advantage. Never take things for granted. Continue to strive real hard and never get too comfortable with where you're at. Stay humble.
"It has been a great two years here learning about life and being around people who genuinely care about you like Jeanne (athletics director Jean Lenti Ponsetto) and everyone on her staff."
The 6-foot, 6-inch all-purpose scorer has a pretty good idea about new coach Dave Leitao's makeover for the Blue Demon program. After all, this is Henry's fourth coach in four seasons competing at the Division I level including Bruce Weber and John Groce at Illinois before transferring to DePaul, sitting out a season and playing for Oliver Purnell as a junior.
Leitao is changing the culture by taking the program in a new direction. Recent Blue Demon teams put a high priority on recruiting pure athletes who could run up and down the floor in an up-tempo, fast-break attack and apply constant pressure on defense.
The new coach prefers basketball players who know the game and understand that five guys efficiently running a system will accomplish far more than five individuals with one-on-one skills. Rather than relying on a single go-to player to come through with the shot clock winding down, the Leitao team will have five guys moving the ball, making cuts and running ball screens to procure a wide-open shot. Sure, you still need to knock down that shot. But it is the system that sets up a winning play and not an individual on a solo flight.
To that end, Leitao and his staff are on the lookout for high character, unselfish student-athletes with a high basketball IQ who are adept decision-makers. It's always fortunate to land a McDonald's All-American or legitimate one-and-done NBA Draft prospect. And yet, programs such as Xavier, Butler, Wichita State, Dayton, Iowa State and VCU rarely bring in the nation's elite prospects---but there they are year after year ranked nationally with successful runs in the NCAA tournament.
"Coach Leitao is looking for guys who make winning plays and don't think only of themselves," Henry said. "Try to do what the team needs. You want guys who play within the system and believe in the system. For it to work, they have to be all-in and 100 percent committed to the system. That's what he is looking for.
"We play hard, but not always with the right mindset. Once coach gets the 12 guys he wants, it will put an end to the drought. It will be a new era of DePaul basketball.
"I'm smart enough to play within the system where I can get buckets and help get my teammates buckets. Coach knows I can read a defense and when to make my move. He gives me some leeway and still pushes me to give my best all the time. I have to justify his confidence in me.
"I'm comfortable in the fourth system I've played in during my college career. I've had to be a quick learner playing for four different coaches. I think I've got it down now."
Henry is among the BIG EAST leaders in scoring and rebounding, recently completing a stretch of 10 consecutive games with double-figure scoring. Included in that run were back-to-back performances of that season-high 27 points against nationally ranked Providence and 22 points at Creighton. He has scored in double figures in all but seven games this season.
"It was a situation where I let those games come to me," said Henry who scored a career-high 29 points last season against Stanford and had a career-high 12 rebounds against Marquette last month. "I knew where the play was going, someone would kick it and I would shoot it. I was gaining a better understanding of the game.
"I know I could be doing even better. If the team was winning, I'd say I was having a great season. I know if I do better, the team will do better. Sometimes I'm a little hard on myself because I hold myself to a higher standard.
"I know I've got to be more consistent in my role. I can't have a bad night. If I do, it seems like the whole team has a bad night. I guess I'm a big part of DePaul and any success we've had. The best thing is when all my teammates are playing well together."
With his college career drawing to an end, Henry has an eye out for the next stage of his life.
"As for my future, I want to keep playing ball as long as I can," Henry said. "If that means playing overseas, I'll be happy with that. When my time is up, then I want to give my knowledge to others. I can see myself coaching high school kids or even fifth-graders. I would teach them and put them on the right path. I'll always have basketball in my life. I'll play in some rec league or in some old man's league when I'm done overseas.
"The people at DePaul and the support staff always gave me the right direction when it came to academics. Playing here allowed me to go home a lot and see my family. I've had a chance to play a big role for this team and I've had some wonderful opportunities at DePaul.
"I've learned that if you want something, you have to go and get it. Go out of your comfort zone and go after it. Coach tells us when there's a 50-50 ball on the floor, do you wait for it to roll to you or do you dive and go get it. That's a good metaphor for life."
Henry smiled as he thought about the good times these last three years.
"I will always remember walking in the footsteps of St. Vincent de Paul on our trip to France," he said. "Paris, Monaco, Nice, Italy, what a great time. There was the time we went snorkeling in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Oumar Barry stayed on the boat and didn't want to go into the water. It was the first time I had ever gone snorkeling, and I wish I could have seen more fish. We did see a sea turtle.
"Oh man, the Navy Seals training. That was one of the hardest things in my life. It's a program designed to see how you handle adversity and work together to overcome it. This one part, we all had to take off a sweatshirt in the deep end of a swimming pool. The water pressure on the sweatshirt was like a suction cup. You had to take it off while trying to stay afloat at the same time.
"You start to panic when you go under, but that's when you take off the sweatshirt and come back up. Our whole team did it at the same time, and we were allowed to help each other out. Aaron Simpson couldn't swim and he was terrified. His face turned gray. We weren't done until everybody had completed the exercise, and Moli (David Molinari) helped Aaron get it off.
"That weekend of adversity training taught me something about leadership. I've always been a leader by example, do something and others follow. But I had to be a more vocal leader during the training sessions. We all learned a lesson that you can't always do it by yourself and it's OK to rely on each other."
Whether or not Henry's basketball career extends beyond his college graduation, you sense that this Blue Demon with the ever-ready smile is going to be just fine.
"People at DePaul are teaching me real-life lessons about stuff on and off the basketball court," Henry said. "You've got to work hard for what you want. When you get knocked down, get back up and do it again. Sometimes the best teacher is failure so long as you keep on trying until you succeed.
"DePaul is helping me prepare for life after college. The coaches' meet-and-greet event was so good. I met people who are company executives and have a lot of influence. I will keep in contact with those people as part of my fallback plan. Everybody needs one because you can't just rely on basketball.
"I don't want to get stuck. I've met a lot of influential people, and DePaul will help me to stay connected."
No matter what the final record reads or how the stats come up, there is one Blue Demon who is happy just to be standing at the end of the season.
At least the 6-foot, 8-inch forward who specializes in a physical game has been able to stay on the court this season. The senior who is an integral part of Leitao's emphasis on rebounding and defense has been sidelined twice with hard-luck injuries in the relatively short time he has suited up with the Blue Demons.
Just before the start of his junior year after transferring from a junior college, he fractured his foot which required surgery and sat him down for nine weeks.
"Those were the toughest moments I've ever gone through in my life," Stimage said. "I had never dealt with an injury like that, and it took a lot out of me. I'd be on the side of the court alone just watching. I just basically stayed at my place and had no social life. I wound up using my faith to recover.
"I couldn't do anything the first several weeks, and I was in a cast for six weeks. I worked on my upper body and the other leg. I was in a boot for the seventh week. It gradually got better and there wasn't any pain. As I started recovering, I began to realize that things happen for a reason. I just had to get past this and keep on working."
Gradually, it all started coming back. That's when misfortune struck again. Just when Stimage started thinking about a full recovery, he jammed his thumb into someone's leg during open gym.
"It was a freak accident," Stimage said about playing in McGrath-Phillips Arena last spring. "I was trying to throw the ball ahead of me and it popped. I thought it was just dislocated, so I kept playing. When I tried to shoot, there was more pain and it popped again.
"Man, I was just getting over the first injury. Yeah, I was alive again and I'm coming back. I thought I had gotten past the first injury and now, another downer. Here we go again. I handled the second injury with more optimism and didn't get as down as the first injury. If I'm going to fall down again, take it and run with it."
You could excuse Stimage if looked to knock on wood for good luck.
"For the most part, I've been healthy this year," Stimage said. "There are just the normal aches and pains. I feel much better on the court, getting into a rhythm and sticking with it."
Stimage came away with nine points and seven rebounds in last December's 82-61 victory over then-No. 20/20 George Washington at Allstate Arena. Earlier that month, he recorded a career-high five blocks at Drake. Stimage had 12 points, six rebounds and four blocks against Illinois-Chicago.
"We were so happy after beating Providence because it was a big game for us against the No. 11 team," Stimage said. "You want to play tough against one of the best teams in the country. I came out with a lot of energy and I strived to be stronger defensively. I raised the team's energy by going hard after rebounds. Playing well on defense got my offense going and I felt great that whole game.
"It's important to the team that I try and play like that in every game. I need to keep my focus and bring that level of energy no matter what. When I'm not playing as many minutes as I'd like, you don't get down. Instead, you stay with it.
"What has changed in me this season is being able to maintain maximum effort for longer stretches of a game. Last year, I had problems just staying in a game because of early foul trouble. Even though we've lost some games, the guys are staying together. We're more close-knit than last year. We hang out as a group and we're all like brothers."
Those basketball "brothers" are the reason Stimage will graduate with some fond memories.
"My favorite trip was to the Virgin Islands," he said. "It was a nice experience, we bonded a lot and won a game out there at the Paradise Jam tournament. The Providence game is a big-time memory. Everyone was so hyped up after we won and the locker room was crazy.
"Jamee Crockett and Myke were my guys but I also had fun with Darrick Wood, Aaron Simpson, Eli Cain, Develle Phillips, Cory Dolins and Peter Ryckbosch. Really, the whole team---there was a lot of love. There are stories about the guys that I will always remember."
Stimage said DePaul has been a life-changing experience both on and off the court.
"I've discovered that I could focus on my education, and I always had so much support in the class room and on the court," Stimage said. "I found out that I'm more emotional than I thought and learned how to control my emotions and stay positive no matter what happens.
"DePaul has done a great job preparing me for life after basketball. Working towards my degree helped me develop skills to go out and be successful in the real world. I've been able to network and meet new people.
"DePaul has helped me grow up and to take education more seriously. It forced me to get into books a lot more. The schoolwork is difficult, but I've spent more time than ever before on becoming educated. DePaul has really helped me mature as a person."
The last four years have gone by way too fast for this point guard. Nonetheless, he has made certain to enjoy every moment and appreciate the opportunity to acquire a top-notch education and play ball in one of the toughest conferences in the country.
His senior year included playing basketball and snorkeling in the Virgin Islands, competing at Stanford and the upcoming trip to New York for the BIG EAST tournament. Among his favorite moments was playing on the scout team and going head-to-head against the starting unit. He enjoyed participating in community service projects with his teammates, in particular the visits to elementary schools.
"It is a tremendous accomplishment to be able to say that I have played in the BIG EAST," Dolins said. "Clearly, it is one of the best leagues in college basketball and has provided me with many opportunities to play some of the best teams and players in the nation--- from playing No. 1-ranked Villanova to facing current and future NBA players.
"My favorite basketball memory has to be playing at Madison Square Garden. My freshman year at the Big East tournament and walking onto the court for the first time during warm-ups was truly an amazing experience. It is a surreal feeling playing at the mecca of basketball.
"Most of my favorite moments of the DePaul experience are with the team. Going to Cancun freshman year, Hawaii junior year, and the Virgin Islands and France my senior year is unbeatable. Being able to hang out with my teammates and closest friends on the beach or in the streets of Paris and Nice is something I will never forget.
"There was also scoring my first point my sophomore year in the season opener to making my first bucket junior year over Ben Bentil, a potential NBA Draft pick. Scoring in games at UIC and against Chicago State this year are memories that will last forever. Another of my best moments was accepting a job offer from the prestigious Ernst & Young accounting firm last fall. After all the hard work in the classroom and all the studying, my academics had finally paid off."
Reflecting on his DePaul experience had Dolins shaking his head.
"I am still in shock that it has already been four years," Dolins said. "College has been a great growing experience for me. I have learned to live on my own and navigate the greatest city in the world---Chicago. I have achieved my goal of having a job before I graduate. Being a part of men's basketball, I have learned the value of hard work, discipline, togetherness, and what makes a person a winner on and off the court."
As much as Dolins has changed while growing up these last four years, one thing that has remained steadfast is a wonderful friendship with an NBA star.
"Playing AAU and travel basketball brought me together with my best friend Jabari Parker," Dolins said. "In sixth grade, I was playing for Rising Stars in Deerfield and Jabari joined the program playing up a grade. Since he lived so far away, he would always stay at my house before and during tournaments.
"After those junior high days, we have stayed close with memories of Jabari killing it on the dance floor at my Bar Mitzvah in seventh grade, going to all four of his state championships with Simeon and attending the NBA draft with him in New York two years ago.
"Since he is playing with the Milwaukee Bucks, I am able to visit him quite often. I went to around 10 Bucks games last year and three already this year. He made the Rising Stars game at All Star weekend, which makes me beyond ecstatic since he is living out his dreams and goals. Now it will be my turn to live out my accounting dreams next year."
The scrappy point guard contemplated the question for a while about his best basketball memory at DePaul before sharing a moment that perhaps best exemplifies what this Blue Demon team is all about.
"This is nearly impossible to answer because so many different emotions have been evoked spending basically all day, every day with the team, but what comes to mind is Cory Dolins' three-point play against Chicago State," Molinari said. "Every team or group of friends has that guy who gets the most verbal flack on a daily basis---usually the guy who can take it because he's so comfortable with himself. For us, Cory is our guy.
"When that shot went high off the glass and he got hit by a guy who looked like ex-Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis in a Chicago State uniform, everyone rose off the bench in anticipation. The ball fell through the rim and whistle blew while Cory returned to the court from the big hit, and every single member of our team lost it. It was a great depiction of the camaraderie we had from our entire team."
It's never easy going through a coaching change as players adjust to a different style and philosophy while trying to figure out if their role is being redefined by the new coaching staff. The transition takes some time and does not usually result in an immediate turnaround or instant success.
Molinari carefully observed the process and studied the various moves and strategies deployed by Leitao, associate head coach Rick Carter and assistant coaches Billy Garrett and Patrick Sellers. That knowledge will come in handy in his pursuit of a coaching career.
"It has definitely been a learning experience," Molinari said. "I hope to be a coach someday, and seeing the transition to a new staff is probably the best ending to my college education I could ask for. After college, I hope to become a graduate assistant coach for a college basketball program just like my dad (ex-DePaul assistant coach Jim Molinari) did after his playing days. He went on to become the head coach at Northern Illinois, Bradley and Western Illinois and is now the assistant coach at Nebraska. Hopefully it turns out as well for me as it did for him."
After playing at Division III Illinois Wesleyan, David Molinari joined the Blue Demon program for the 2014-15 season. That was quite a jump to the elite level of Division I.
"I have never been part of something so competitive," Molinari said. "In the BIG EAST, you can work really hard and lose every night. The conference's last-place team was able to beat a national power like Syracuse earlier this season before losing 13 league games in a row. That's just the reality of competing against nine other top-tier programs, coaches and players each night."
Molinari has enjoyed some big moments in his overall career. As a junior at Peoria Christian High School, he scored 38 points and received a standing ovation on the road against Macomb. It just so happened that Western Illinois coach Jim Molinari was sitting in the stands beaming that night.
"I was just proud to have represented my father so well," David said.
As a senior at Peoria Notre Dame, Molinari took a charge late in the game against rival Peoria Richwoods to seal a two-point win.
"After the game I was talking to the Illinois Wesleyan coach and he mentioned that I did not take a shot the whole game. Being part of a team where I could take zero shots and still enjoy the win as much as any in my career showed me how blessed I was to play with those guys my senior year.
"I'll always remember when I drew a foul against Western Michigan earlier this season and made two free throws. It had been a dream to play Division I basketball since I was a little kid, and impacting a game for a BIG EAST team was when the dream became reality."
Molinari was asked to describe his experience at DePaul.
"I have grown up in probably a thousand more ways than I can put my finger on right now," he said. "I know as my life goes on I will appreciate the things DePaul has taught me more and more every day.
"Competition at this level exposes any deficiencies very clearly. You win or you lose and everyone sees it. I have been a part of more losses than wins here, and I wanted to win every game. But without the high level of competition exposing our team's and my flaws, we'd all never become the people we'll end up being.
"I have really enjoyed struggling day in and day out with our guys. Obviously I would have liked to win a few more games over my past two years here, but I couldn't have asked to spend my time with any better teammates and friends. The times we spent in the locker room before and after practice, traveling around the country and the world, winning and losing, battling in practice with these guys is what I'll miss the most."
