DePaul coach Oliver Purnell inked two players Wednesday to a National Letter of Intent with DeJuan Marrero and Jodan Price. Marrero is a 6’5” forward from Gary, Ind. and Price is a 6’7” guard/forward from Beverly Hills, Mich.
Marrero averaged 22.1 points and 15.3 rebounds per game as a junior at Gary’s Bowman Academy. The two-time member of the Times of Northwest Indiana All-Area first team played for the U18 national team for Puerto Rico at the 2010 FIBA Americas tournament. On the summer AAU circuit, Marrero played for Spiece Indy Heat and he is ranked among the top 50 players in the nation at his position and the top 15 players in Indiana by ESPN.com.
“DeJuan Marrero is the all-around type player we like here at DePaul. He has toughness, he’s a team guy and he’s from a winning program,” said Purnell. “DeJuan can do a lot of things on the floor and he’ll fit very well into our system.”
Sharpshooter Price heads to the Windy City from Detroit Country Day – the same high school attended by DePaul sophomore Donnavan Kirk – and fills a role as a three-point threat for the Blue Demons starting next season. He is ranked among the class of 2012’s top 25 three-point shooters by ESPN.com and attended the Lebron James Skills Academy last summer.
ESPN.com ranks Price as the seventh-best player in Michigan and among the top 50 small forwards in the country.
“Jordan Price is a long shooter who is quickly developing into a good all-around player,” said Purnell. “His size should really help us with our defensive pressure but certainly his shooting is a welcome addition.”
While Marrero and Price join DePaul in 2012, the current Blue Demons open the 2011-12 season Friday night against UT-Pan American. DePaul and UTPA are scheduled for an 8 p.m. start following the season opener for the DePaul women’s team against Saint Mary’s at 6 p.m. Both games will be played at McGrath-Phillips Arena
UIC coach Howard Moore announced the signings of 7-foot center Matt Gorski and 6-foot-8 power forward Jake Wiegand, of Fisburne Military Academy in Virginia, along with 6-foot-1 guard Gabriel Snider from Whitney Young High School in Chicago on Wednesday.
“We are extremely excited about the three young men that have chosen UIC as the institution to further their education and to aspire to reach their athletic goals,” said Moore. “All three have strong desires to earn degrees and to play championship caliber basketball.
Gorski who drew recruiting attention from Boston College and Auburn, is rated as a three-star recruit by ESPN.com, grew two inches since the end of his senior year of high school. Gorski and Wiegand are the second and third Fishburne Military Academy recruits for Moore and his staff. UIC also landed freshman center Will Simonton from the prep school last season.
UIC’s opens the season at Eastern Michigan (Friday, November 11 at 7:07 p.m.). The Flames defeated the University of Chicago (61-45) on Nov. 2, and Lake Forest College on Wednesday (Nov. 8), 57-33 in their two exhibition games.
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