Eli Cain always had a goal in mind when he decided to leave his native New Jersey four years ago to play his college ball at DePaul.
Maybe goal is not the right word. Mission is more like it. Yes, Cain has been on a mission since leaving St. Benedict’s Prep for the Windy City and this is the season he hopes to fulfill that mission - to turn a long-dormant Blue Demons basketball program into a legitimate contender in the BIG EAST.
“That was one of the biggest things I was looking forward to when I came here,” said Cain, the Demons’ 6-6 senior guard who is second on the team in scoring, made three-pointers and steals while leading the team in assists and three-point shooting percentage. “Me and coach (Dave Leitao) came in together and we both had that vision since Day One. It’s taken time but I think it’s starting to come to fruition now.”
When the BIG EAST Coaches Preseason Poll was unveiled on media day at Madison Square Garden back in October, it came as a surprise to no one to see the Blue Demons again slated in the 10th position. It had become a familiar spot for a DePaul team which has posted a 40-70 overall record during Cain’s tenure and a less-than-stellar 10-47 mark in BIG EAST play.
But Cain thinks his year is going to be different and he points to the Blue Demons’ strong play in the non-conference season and three very competitive outings so far in conference play - including a home victory over a red-hot play Seton Hall team last Sunday - as proof the needle is starting to point up for DePaul (9-5, 1-2 BIG EAST).
“If you watch a lot of games in this league, just about all of them except maybe one or two all come down to the last couple of minutes,” said Cain, who is averaging 13.7 points a game. “It shows just how competitive this league is. But that win was big for us, especially the way we’d been losing. Against Northwestern (a 75-68 loss) we were up. Boston College (a 65-62 loss) we were up. Against Nova (a 73-68 loss) and Xavier (a 74-65 loss) we were up. All those games came down to the last minute. So to get over that hump and play a full 40 minutes and come out on top was good for us. Beating a team like Seton Hall, one of the hottest teams in the country, they were on a seven-game winning streak, that was big for us. Especially on our home court.”
The talk of this being the year of DePaul’s rebirth actually started in New York City last March, right after the Blue Demons saw their season end with a narrow 72-69 loss to Marquette in the BIG EAST Tournament.
“I remember after our last game, in the locker room at the Garden, and me and Max (Strus) both said we want to really change things around here. And coach also said in that locker room that things were going to be different around here and I think we all worked really hard in the offseason to change things. So I put it on me, Max and Femi (Olujobi), as the seniors, to start to change things and make it special here.”
Leitao, now in his fourth year of his second stint as head Blue Demon, thinks the BIG EAST is a little more wide open than in past seasons and thus gives DePaul, with its three talented seniors and quality, albeit young, supporting cast, as good a chance as any team to compete at a high level in the conference this season.
“There is no game where you can say, ‘Hey guys, if we can take care of this, that and the other we’ll be in great shape,’” Leitao said. “You’ve got to prepare everyday to go to war and the games have shown that. The amount of close games, one-possession games and overtimes we’ve seen in the first three or four games of the season prove that out. It will continue to come down to a possession here and a possession there and that speaks to the competitive level and the balance that I think this league is showing so far.This is a hotly-contested and very balanced league.”
Cain, too, thinks there is no dominant team in the conference this season and that can help bring about the rise of DePaul basketball.
“In the past, before the season even started, you could look at the rosters and you could get a sense that there were one or two teams that were separated from everyone else in the league,” Cain said. “But a lot of seniors and other guys left the league last year so in my four years this is the most wide open it’s been in the league.”
Before his playing days are done, Cain’s name will be all over the DePaul record books. But he would trade all that glory for a memorable season for the Blue Demons before he takes his final college bows.
“The first three years here I had a lot of personal success but we didn’t have a lot of team success,” Cain said. “So that personal success kind of all got lost (in the losing). Like I said, I had a goal coming in here in my freshman year to change this program. But you’ve just got to take it day-by-day. I have a goal to get this program on the right track and I think we’re doing a pretty good job of it right now.”
There are just 15 regular-season games remaining in Cain’s DePaul career, with the Demons next contest coming in Queens Saturday night against St. John’s. So Cain is aware his career is on the clock. And while he knows there is not a national championship coming down the pike in his final few months, there is still that mission he wants to accomplish before he goes.
“Personally this is the best year of my four years here,” Cain said. “But I know one of these days I’ll play my last college game. So I’m just enjoying it. I’ve had a really good college career and I just want to take it to another level in my last year and give the younger guys here and the DePaul community and everyone who has been part of this something special to remember. I take this very personally. I want to be part of turning this thing around. That would be very special.”