Youth serves at DePaul

When Jerry Wainwright listed DePaul's team captains at Tuesday's tipoff luncheon, the first two names out of his mouth were predictable.

The third was historic.

After tabbing senior guards Draelon Burns and Cliff Clinkscales, Wainwright took a leap of faith. He bestowed the title of co-captain on a player who has never made a basket, grabbed a rebound or zipped an outlet pass in a college game.

The coach asked Mac Koshwal to stand and named the 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward the first freshman captain in team history. Former guard Rashon Burno was a three-time captain from 1999-2002 but began serving as a sophomore.

"He's earned it," Wainwright said of Koshwal. "In order to become a good leader, you have to be put in positions to lead."

Koshwal's naming came as a surprise to many sitting in McGrath Arena, including Burns and other players. But following practice the day before, Koshwal indicated he's up to any task.

After all, this is a guy who will wear No. 13 this season to prove it's not unlucky.

"I'm willing to accept responsibility," he said. "I actually like it like that. Makes me work even harder. Coach tells us every day, me and the other freshmen, we're not going to take the back seat.

"We've got to learn everything quickly."

The ability of six newcomers -- five freshmen and junior-college transfer Matija Poscic -- to meet the demands of the college game likely will shape DePaul's season. DePaul welcomes its most decorated class since 1998, when Quentin Richardson, Bobby Simmons and Lance Williams arrived in Lincoln Park.

Included are two top-50 prospects (Koshwal and Dar Tucker), a solid juco pickup in Poscic, a sharpshooting wing (Mario Stula) and a possible point guard of the future (Michael Bizoukas). A sixth player, 7-foot-2 center Kene Obi, is enrolled but not practicing with the team because of lingering "NCAA issues."

Their immediate contributions will be crucial for DePaul, which lost two players to the NBA (Wilson Chandler and Sammy Mejia) and returns just 36 percent of its rebounding from last season.

"Them being top recruited taught them how to carry themselves with the whole situation," Burns said. "They've been working hard, being very vocal -- stuff I haven't seen in freshmen."

Koshwal is working with the first team in practice and will start the opener Nov. 9 at Creighton. Tucker and Poscic also will see ample playing time. Both Bizoukas (mononucleosis) and Stula (bruised shoulder) have been limited in practice but will play when healthy.

"They're very gifted," Wainwright said of the class. "Their success is going to be exponential. There is no ceiling on kids like this, unless they put one up themselves."

Physically, Wainwright feels the newcomers are ready, particularly those in the frontcourt. At 6-10 and 235 pounds, Poscic can play power forward or center, but his speed will help him on run-outs.

Koshwal averaged a double-double in all three of his high school seasons and will be looked to as a primary scorer along with Burns.

"We're not your usual big, strong, slow guys," Poscic said. "We can move and that's important, especially in this league."

Added Koshwal: "My biggest strength is my strength."

Blending the newcomers with the returnees will be DePaul's biggest challenge, but bonds are forming among the six recruits. Croatian natives Poscic and Stula live together along with Bizoukas. Koshwal shares an apartment with Tucker and Obi.

Stula already has taught several of his teammates some Croatian words.

"It's nothing really bad," he said, smiling.

Koshwal and Tucker first met at Iowa State's basketball camp as high school juniors. They committed to DePaul on consecutive days last September.

"It's been real cool," said Tucker, the runner-up for the Mr. Basketball award in Michigan. "He pushes me. When I'm not working, he comes and hollers at me, like, 'Dar, you've got to push it up, you've got to turn it up.' He's like my brother."

Wainwright has relied on young players before, twice naming freshmen as captains when he coached UNC-Wilmington. The difference is DePaul's newcomers are used to accolades and expectations, which can work both ways.

"Every one of those freshman kids has been able at times to get by on 75 percent effort," he said. "Every day, especially from the mental aspect, they're being asked to concentrate and work hard, and that's an unbelievable adjustment.

"Obviously Mac's done it right away."