Before he could enter his 39th season as the head coach of DePaul's women's basketball team, Doug Bruno has taken an indefinite medical leave of absence. The team has not released his specific condition but announced on Oct. 7 that it occurred in September.

As the program's all-time wins leader, Bruno has been with DePaul in his current stint since 1988 and is in the final year of his current contract. The 73-year-old is currently resting in his home and plans to return to action as soon as he is physically able to.

While he is out, DePaul will turn to Bruno's top assistant, Jill Pizzotti, as the interim head coach. Pizzotti has been with the Blue Demons under Bruno for the last decade with the last seven as the associate head coach.

Before he began his coaching career, Bruno played for DePaul's men's basketball team from 1969 to 1973. He returned to the school in 1976 as the women's basketball head coach but left shortly after for the same position with the Chicago Hustle of the Women's Professional Basketball League. Bruno went back to college basketball in 1980 before returning to DePaul eight years later, where he has remained ever since.

Throughout his time with his alma mater, Bruno has been recognized as one of the best coaches in women's basketball. After winning five Big East tournaments, the longtime head coach was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022. He also won two Olympic gold medals as a part of Geno Auriemma's coaching staff in 2012 and 2016.

DePaul women's basketball team prepares for 2024-2025 season without head coach Doug Bruno

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For the first time in nearly 40 years, the DePaul women's basketball team will prepare for its upcoming season without Bruno on the bench. Traditionally one of the top teams in the Big East, the Blue Demons are coming off a down year in 2023-2024, finishing with a 12-20 record that was seventh in the conference.

Until the return of UConn in the Big East, DePaul enjoyed a lengthy reign as a consistent favorite to win the conference. Under Bruno, DePaul has gone to 18 NCAA Tournaments with four appearances in the Sweet Sixteen.

In 2024-2025, the Chicago-based school will not only be without Bruno for the time being but have to deal with the loss of guard Anaya Peoples, who led the team in points, rebounds and assists as a fifth-year senior. Graduate forward Jorie Allen will look to become the new leader of the team as the only other player to average double figures in points in 2023-2024.

DePaul will kick off their 2024-2025 season on Oct. 18 with an exhibition game against Lewis University. Their regular season will begin on Nov. 6 with a home game against Mercyhurst.