Staff Directory
- Title:
- Director of Basketball Operations
- Email:
- Phone:
- (773) 325-7507
Lisa Ryckbosch was named assistant coach in September of 2017, returning to Lincoln Park after also serving on the Blue Demon staff from 1991-2002.
Ryckbosch returned to DePaul following nine seasons at the head women's basketball coach at University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC). Since returning to the Lincoln Park, DePaul has continued to experience tremendous success on the court. Starting with the 2013-14 season, the Blue Demons have won six BIG EAST regular-season titles, and the 88-74 triumph over Marquette on March 9, 2020 was their fifth BIG EAST Tournament crown in a span of seven years.
Prior to taking the head coaching position at UIC, Ryckbosch served as the associate head coach at DePaul during the 2001-02 season and was an assistant coach from 1991-2001.
Ryckbosch's return to the bench coincided with the program's amazingly consistent NCAA Tournament run. In 2019, DePaul advanced to its 17th consecutive NCAA postseason. Only women's college basketball's elite programs (Connecticut, Notre Dame, Stanford, Tennessee) can also make that claim out of 349 Division I programs nationwide. Ryckbosch contributed to the program winning 20 games or more 12 seasons in a row. DePaul earned an 18th consecutive berth in the 2020 NCAA tournament which was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In her first stint at DePaul, Ryckbosch's leadership as Director of Corporate, Professional and Community Relations, the Blue Demons stepped up their community service efforts and continued to thrive in the classroom.
Ryckbosch coordinated many of DePaul’s community outreach efforts, including regularly visiting Chicagoland grammar schools and speaking about the importance of leadership and teamwork, while alos promoting the "DePaulBall" brand. She coordinated DePaul’s efforts to host basketball clinics for grammar schools and was in charge of all DePaul’s basketball camps. Ryckbosch also spearheaded women’s basketball’s Christmas Toy Drive which benefits the students at the Saint Vincent de Paul Center. She coordinated the team's volunteer work at the Sheffield Garden Walk, Chicago Park District Fitness Fest and the Hoops in the Hood program.
Making academics a priority, the Blue Demons have become a mainstay in the WBCA Team Academic Poll. The Blue Demons broke into the top 10 in the poll in 2011 and ranked as high as No. 2 in 2011 and 2012. DePaul has recorded the highest team GPA among BIG EAST women's basketball programs in nine of the last 10 years.
As the person in charge of handling DePaul’s travel arrangements during the regular season, she also helped with the logistics of the Blue Demons Vincentian Heritage tour in 2014.
During her time with the Flames, Ryckbosch posted 128 wins and left UIC as the program's all-time winningest coach and the only head coach in the program's history to reach the 100-win plateau. While on the South Side she helped the Flames to their first postseason appearance in the 2007 WNIT. Her 2006-07 team set a school record for wins with 19 which included a stretch of 11-straight.
At UIC, Ryckbosch tutored 25 All-Horizon League performers while she graduated 88 percent of her student-athletes that completed their eligibility. Ryckbosch also served as an assistant coach at UIC during the 1990-91 season.
During Ryckbosch's first stint with the Blue Demons, she served as the recruiting coordinator and helped the program to eight postseason appearances, including five NCAA Tournaments and three Conference Championships. Ryckbosch helped sign the nation's eighth-ranked recruiting class in 1997, while DePaul's 2001 class ranked 19th in the country.
Prior to moving to the collegiate level, Ryckbosch taught mathematics at Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills and also served as the head varsity girl's basketball coach.
Ryckbosch played college basketball at Loyola-Chicago from 1980-84. She was a two-time co-captain and finished her career as the Ramblers' all-time leading scorer and was second in rebounding.
Upon graduation from Loyola, Ryckbosch went on to play professionally in Belgium for DBC Aalst Women's Basketball Club from 1984-87.
Ryckbosch's husband Bart is a native of Belgium and is the archivist at the Art Institute of Chicago. The pair has two children -- Peter and Steven.
Peter was a member of the Blue Demon men's basketball team and earned his Master's degree in nursing from DePaul and is currently working as an emergency-room nurse at Northwestern Hospital. Steven graduated Summa Cum Laude from Georgetown in 2011 and earned his PhD in Organic Chemistry at Stanford. He is married to Sally Winkler.
