DePaul sets sights on Drew, Hurley as coaching search winds down

With the search coming down to Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew and Buffalo coach Bobby Hurley, DePaul could announce a men’s basketball coach next week.

Both are scheduled to interview this weekend for the job vacated two weeks ago by Oliver Purnell, according to sources.

School officials are said to be eager to complete the hiring process, though several candidates remain on a short list if Drew or Hurley don’t work out.

DePaul hired Atlanta-based Parker Executive Search to aid the process.

Drew, 40, and Hurley, 43, have had success at their respective schools, taking them to the NCAA tournament. Drew starred at Valparaiso and Hurley at Duke, and both played in the NBA.

That professional experience is considered important by some as a recruiting tool to lure more top-tier players.

Drew was an associate coach under his father, Homer, before taking over the program in 2011. The Crusaders have been to the NCAA tournament twice during his tenure and to the NIT as Horizon League regular-season champions.

He played six seasons in the NBA, including 2000-01 with the Bulls.

After rejecting overtures from Mississippi State and Tulsa, Drew received a 10-year extension in 2013.

Hurley, who played in the NBA for five seasons, also has a contract-extension offer on the table from Buffalo. He took the Bulls to the NCAA tournament in his second season.

That deal, said to be in excess of $550,000 a year, likely would be dwarfed by DePaul, which paid Purnell some $2 million annually the last five seasons.

Hurley also may be coveted by Arizona State, where coach Herb Sendek was fired last week, and St. John’s, which just fired Steve Lavin.

DePaul’s new coach faces a lingering rebuilding project, with the Blue Demons mired in 20-loss seasons in seven of their last nine.

Turning around the program has gained more urgency with the planned construction of a new arena near McCormick Place that will become the Blue Demons future home. The school has committed some $82.5 million to the estimated $164 million project which is targeted for the 2017 season. But critics have chastised the McPier Authority and Mayor Emanuel for committing public funds to a facility to be shared by a private university with a losing program.