H-F grad, DePaul senior scores 1,000 points
There was so much to celebrate for DePaul last weekend, one day couldn’t hold it.
On Feb. 9, Doug Bruno won his 700th game as a women’s basketball coach.
On Sunday, senior guard Amarah Coleman scored the 1,000th point of her college basketball career.
She could have done it Feb. 9, but the Homewood-Flossmoor graduate stopped just short on purpose so as not to take away from Bruno’s day.
OK, she really didn’t do that. But it was nice they could enjoy their own separate spotlights.
“Yes, it was,” Coleman said, laughing. “We all celebrated his 700th victory the (game) before. Then, when I got the 1,000th point, the best part was it was a really tough game. I’m glad we were able to pull out the win.”
Indeed, it went right down to the wire Sunday as DePaul defeated Xavier 73-72. Coleman finished with 10 points.
Two nights earlier, Coleman contributed 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in an 86-68 win over Butler that gave Bruno his 700th win.
Of those 700 wins, 660 have come at DePaul. He earned 40 as the head coach of the Chicago Hustle women’s professional team.
Doug being typical Doug, he didn’t want to talk about his own milestone other than to say that he’s eternally grateful to five people.
Those would be Dick Flaiz, his high school coach at Quigley South; Ray Meyer, his college coach at DePaul; Frank McGrath, who was Meyer’s assistant coach; DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto; and Gene Sullivan, for whom he served as an associate head coach at Loyola.
Beyond that, Bruno wanted to keep the focus on Coleman, who came to DePaul as a sophomore after one season at Illinois.
The most telling reference Bruno made about his 700th win, in fact, involved Coleman and four points she didn’t score.
“Probably our two biggest baskets of the Butler game came on her assists,” Bruno said. “That was a great game for her because she stuffed the stat sheet in other areas.
“Some players have a swag, but they don’t back it up with a basketball foundation. Amarah backs up her swag with great decisionmaking and the ability to make her teammates better.”
Coleman is averaging 12.2 points and 3.2 assists this season. Sharing the ball is a trait I saw many times during her career at Bolingbrook, and later at H-F.
She’s proud to claim it.
“I’ve never been a selfish payer,” Coleman said. “I’d rather share the ball than score. My game comes from my defense and passing the ball. If I’m passing the ball to my teammates, then I trust that they would pass me the ball back if I’m open.”
Coleman developed her “team” concept while playing for Tony Smith at both Bolingbrook and H-F. She laughed — a warm laugh — when I asked her about high school memories.
“Every day was a great memory playing for coach Smith,” Coleman said. “He is one of the top high school coaches, and he knows what he’s doing. I learned a lot from him, and I still stay in touch with him. He’s a good guy.”
Smith was in attendance earlier this year when DePaul played UConn.
“She played hard, but she’s a kid who always had that energy,” Smith said. “Playing for a great coaching legend like Doug Bruno, she’s shooting the ball better. When I coached her, she was more of a driver. She’s shooting the 3-point ball now, so I can tell Doug has been working with her.
“It was a pleasure, a blessing, coaching a kid like that. She was our point guard, our floor general. I’m just proud of her. She’s a young lady who is going to do great things. I don’t think her career is going to end this year.”
He’s right about that. Down the line, Coleman plans to play overseas.
For now, she confirmed she will finish her DePaul career fulfilled as a player — and as a person.
“I believed that DePaul was a place where I could fit in and could play under Doug,” Coleman said. “Everyone is genuine here. Not many schools have an athletic director who knows every student-athlete’s name and is concerned with your well-being.”
Yep, an achievement, a coach and a place worth celebrating.
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