March 29--Ten years after leaving for Virginia, Dave Leitao returns to DePaul as the men's basketball coach.
Leitao said he didn't understand the promise of DePaul when he left in 2005.
"I underestimated what a special place DePaul University and the city of Chicago are when I left here in 2005," he said in a statement. "The dedication and support here to the growth of student success is second to none, not only for a basketball program but also for the entire student body. I'm proud and our team will be proud to represent this great institution in one of the world's great cities. We will exude the work ethic that drives Chicago and the region every day and look forward to everyone joining us next season."
A press conference is set for 3 p.m. on Monday.
Leitao was 58-34 overall and 30-18 in Conference USA in three seasons as DePaul's coach from 2002-05. He led the Blue Demons to two NIT tournaments and their last NCAA tournament appearance in 2004.
He left DePaul to become head coach at Virginia, where he spent four seasons, tied for an Atlantic Coast Conference title and led the Cavaliers to one NCAA tournament. He was an assistant coach at Tulsa this season and before that spent two years in the same position at Missouri.
"Following our search that garnered high-level national interest, we are excited to announce that Dave Leitao is our next men's basketball coach," athletics director Jean Lenti Ponsetto said in a press release. "His success here speaks for itself with three postseason appearances in three years with teams that energized our alumni and fans with their competitiveness and work ethic. When he left in 2005, we recognized that it is the nature of our business that dynamic coaches get recruited away. "
Ponsetto thanks Parket Executive Search firm for assisting with the process and offering DePaul an array of "superb candidates" before Leitao "surfaced as our number one choice."
Sources said Buffalo's Bobby Hurley and Valparaiso's Bryce Drew interviewed for the job this weekend.
Oliver Purnell resigned in early March after five seasons as DePaul's coach.
