Busting Brackets
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Big East Basketball: Building each program’s Mount Rushmore

By Brian Foley

KEYSTONE, SD - OCTOBER 01: Mount Rushmore National Memorial towers over the South Dakota landscape on October 1, 2013 near Keystone, South Dakota. Mount Rushmore and all other national parks were closed today after congress failed to pass a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job. A bulletin issued by the Department of Interior states, 'Effective immediately upon a lapse in appropriations, the National Park Service will take all necessary steps to close and secure national park facilities and grounds in order to suspend all activities ...Day use visitors will be instructed to leave the park immediately...' (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
KEYSTONE, SD - OCTOBER 01: Mount Rushmore National Memorial towers over the South Dakota landscape on October 1, 2013 near Keystone, South Dakota. Mount Rushmore and all other national parks were closed today after congress failed to pass a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job. A bulletin issued by the Department of Interior states, 'Effective immediately upon a lapse in appropriations, the National Park Service will take all necessary steps to close and secure national park facilities and grounds in order to suspend all activities ...Day use visitors will be instructed to leave the park immediately...' (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) /
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ROSEMONT, IL – FEBRUARY 03: Members of the DePaul Blue Demons stand during the National Anthem before a game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Allstate Arena on February 3, 2014 in Rosemont, Illinois. Georgetown defeated DePaul 71-59. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
ROSEMONT, IL – FEBRUARY 03: Members of the DePaul Blue Demons stand during the National Anthem before a game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Allstate Arena on February 3, 2014 in Rosemont, Illinois. Georgetown defeated DePaul 71-59. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Mount Blue Demon

DePaul History: 2 Final Fours, 1 Elite Eight, 8 Sweet 16’s

F Mark Aguirre (1978-81)
Stats: 25.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.6 steals

Aguirre’s three-year run at DePaul was absurdly dominant when he averaged over 25 points and 8 rebounds per game. The Blue Demons lost just 10 games during his career and made a trip to the Final Four in 1979. He was named a two-time consensus first-team All-American and the AP Player of the Year in 1980. His No. 24 hangs in the brand new Wintrust Arena in downtown Chicago and he is the program’s all-time scoring leader. Aguirre also won two NBA titles with the historic Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990.

F Terry Cummings (1979-82)
Stats: 16.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.3 blocks

Cummings overlapped with Aguirre for two seasons at DePaul but missed out on the Final Four run in Aguirre’s freshman year. Still, Cummings’ teams lost just six games in his three seasons and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament all three times. The 6’9″ forward was a proven playmaker on both ends of the floor and currently sits seventh in DePaul history in career rebounds. Cummings landed on the All-American first-team in 1982 and was a two-time All-Star in the NBA.

HC Ray Meyer (1942-84)
Record: 724-354 (.672 winning percentage), 13 NCAA Tournament appearances

You can’t talk DePaul basketball without mentioning Ray Meyer. Perhaps his most remarkable accomplishment was the Hall of Famer’s graceful exit from the sport. Meyer took DePaul to the Final Four in his first season as head coach in 1943 and won the NIT two years later in 1945. Flash forward nearly four decades, and six of his last seven teams finished the year ranked within the top 10 of the AP Poll. He reached his second Final Four in 1979, and in his final year of coaching, Meyer led the Blue Demons to a 27-3 record and another Sweet 16 appearance.

C George Mikan (1942-46)
Stats: 19.1 points

Before he became an NBA legend, Mr. Basketball dominated the collegiate level in DePaul’s royal blue and scarlet. Mikan still holds the school record for points in a game (53 points in the 1945 NIT semifinals) and is fifth in scoring in DePaul history. He led DePaul to the Final Four as a freshman, an NIT runner-up as a sophomore, and an NIT championship as a junior. Mikan was a two-time Player of the Year winner and a three-time consensus first-team All-American in college. In the pros, he captured seven NBA/NBL titles with the Chicago American Gears and the Minneapolis Lakers.

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