DePaul Basketball: 5 candidates to replace Dave Leitao as head coach

Dennis Gates

Coaches with Chicago ties are going to stand out in the eyes of the college basketball world, though that might not necessarily be what DePaul is looking for. They went with the retread hire the last few times with their opening, so why not try an up-and-coming coach? If you want someone who fits both of these bills, look no farther than Gates.

Born and raised in Chicago, Gates played his collegiate ball at California before embarking on quite the coaching career. He’s been an assistant at places like California and Nevada and spent nearly a decade on Leonard Hamilton’s staff at Florida State. Two years ago, he took over a complete mess at Cleveland State and has done impressive work, taking the Vikings to the NCAA Tournament this season after winning the Horizon League.

Gates’ work with Cleveland State has already been prolific. It’s only been two years but he’s more than justified DePaul giving him a chance to run the program. He’s got plenty of experience on the benches of power conference teams and would certainly know the area well when it came to recruiting. The question remains if DePaul will pull the trigger on someone with only two years of head coaching experience.