DePaul Prep Athletics

The varsity boys basketball team had a very successful season last year culminating in winning the state championship. This historic game earned DePaul Prep its first state title in basketball and pushed DePaul Prep up from the 2A bracket to the 3A bracket. Because of this historic win, and the fact they have gone to state three out five years, there have been more eyes drawn to them and expectations are rising. 

According to Coach Kleinschmidt, the head coach of the boys varsity basketball team, since their win at state, opposing teams are possibly beginning to consider DePaul as a larger competitor. However he doesn’t view this as pressure mounting for the team and stated that “Pressure is when you are not prepared.”

 As a Gordon alum and a seasoned basketball player Kleinschmidt said winning the state championship was an indescribable feeling, but his main goal of the coming season isn’t to win. He said, “it would be nice to win again, but the main goal is to help the kids succeed on and off the court.”  

As for scheduling for the games, not much has changed. In a normal season each team is allowed 31 games. The boys varsity team has always had a rigorous schedule and will be playing 29-30 games this season. 

With a schedule as exacting as this one losses are expected but Coach Kleinschmidt isn’t worried about this. He said, “You learn more from losses than you do wins” and is confident that if they lose to the right teams that they will be prepared for the state tournament. 

The new season is fast approaching, but official practices haven’t begun just yet. Currently the coaches have set up open gyms and Coach Kleinschmidt affirmed that they have a very promising looking team. He is also happy to report most of the team from last year is returning. Because of this he said that the team’s dynamic hasn’t changed much since last season, and throughout the interview stated that they were like a family.

After talking to three of the varsity players, it is clear that Coach Kleinschmidt was right, they have a strong bond. Junior Jonas Johnson reaffirmed that the team is a family, and the other players, seniors PJ Chambers and Jaylan McElroy echoed this statement. 

Jaylan said that “when one player is down we help pick them up on and off the court.” PJ affirmed this stating that “We push each other harder each day, even when we don’t want to.”

 Jaylan stated that the team learned “it can’t be a one man show, you have to work together on and off the court” and they plan to carry this mindset into the coming season. They all stated that they are looking forward to playing as a team again, and each practice multiple times a day. They all stated that they hoped to win the state championship once again, but more importantly to win the Catholic Conference.   

Mr. Mahoney, the athletic director of DePaul Prep, stated that the boys basketball win was a positive light for the community. He said “when one wins we all win” and emphasized that this win had brought DePaul Prep closer together as a community. He also stated “ winning brings a sense of pride, a sense of community.” He recognized that winning isn’t everything, but he hopes that we can make it to state once again. The players agreed with him stating that they wanted to leave a legacy that they can look back on with pride, and to continue supporting each other as a family.