DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Announces Contract Extensions for Men's Basketball Coaching Staff
7/2/2026 1:00:00 PM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Five men's basketball assistants sign extensions through 2028
CHICAGO – DePaul men's basketball head coach Chris Holtmann announced, Thursday, that assistant coaches Jack Owens, Bryan Mullins, Paris Parham, LaVall Jordan and Brandon Bailey have all signed contract extensions through 2028. The extensions keep intact what is one of the most experienced coaching staffs in the country with three former Division I head coaches and an average coaching experience of over two decades.
The coaching staff has developed one of the nation's best turnarounds in two years, helping DePaul to the largest KenPom improvement in the nation in 2024-25 before leading the Blue Demons to its best finish in BIG EAST history in 2025-26.
Jack Owens will enter his fifth season working with Coach Holtmann, previously spending two seasons at Ohio State. Prior to teaming up with Holtmann, Owens spent five seasons as the head coach at Miami (Ohio). Owens has been instrumental in the development of DePaul's bigs over the last two seasons, including the tutelage of NJ Benson who led the nation in dunks and was fifth in the BIG EAST with 7.6 rebounds per game in 2025-26. Prior to his time at Miami, Owens spent nine seasons on staff at Purdue including six as an associate head coach to Matt Painter. During his nine seasons with Purdue, the program recorded over 200 wins, seven NCAA Tournament appearances and three Sweet Sixteens.
A Chicago native, Bryan Mullins returned to his hometown in 2024 following five seasons as the head coach for Southern Illinois. As the head coach of his alma mater, Mullins led the Salukis to an 86-68 record with six All-Conference selections. Mullins previously spent six seasons on Porter Moser's staff at Loyola Chicago where he was an instrumental part in the Ramblers' 2018 Final Four run and back-to-back conference championships. Mullins has helped develop DePaul's offense into one of the nation's top assist rates in back-to-back seasons and set the Blue Demon three-point record in 2024-25.
First arriving at DePaul in 2021, Paris Parham remained on staff with the hiring of Holtmann in April 2024 where he helped an immediate 11-win increase from the previous season. Parham holds 30 years of coaching experience, including stops at Illinois and Illinois State. Prior to joining the college ranks, Parham served as head coach at Morgan Park High School and Phillips Academy here in Chicago where he was Chicago Public League's Red-Central Coach of the Year.
A former BIG EAST head coach, LaVall Jordan coached Butler from 2017-22 where he coached the Bulldogs to a pair of 20-win seasons. After his time at Butler, Jordan served as an on-air game and studio analyst for Fox Sports in addition to working with the Milwaukee Bucks as an NBA Scout. Jordan spent nine seasons as an assistant coach in the Big Ten, including six at Michigan where he helped the Wolverines to the 2013 Final Four. Jordan also serves as men's basketball's general manager, coordinating name, image and likeness and revenue share agreements.
A 2009 DePaul graduate, Brandon Bailey was welcomed home to his alma mater on Coach Holtmann's staff in 2024. He had spent one season with Holtmann at Ohio State after spending 10 years in the Boston Celtics organization. While with Boston, Bailey served as the head coach of the G League affiliate for two seasons before serving as an assistant coach with the Celtics for two seasons. Bailey spent 2021-22 working with Team USA, prior to returning to college basketball. In his role overseeing the DePaul defense, Bailey has established the Blue Demons identity as a hard-nosed defensive-minded team that featured the best defensive efficiency in program history and a top-35 national ranking.
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TICKET INFORMATION
Join Blue Demon Nation for BIG EAST hoops at Wintrust Arena! Deposits for NEW season tickets for the 2026-27 season are now being accepted for just $25 per seat! Visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Commit to lock in your spot on the priority list and choose seats this summer. Deposits will be applied to final season ticket package orders.
Season ticket renewals for existing accounts are also now available. Visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Renew and sign-in to your ticket account to renew by XX. For more information or to speak with a ticket representative contact the DePaul Ticket Office at 773-325-7527.
