The men’s basketball team picked up their third commitment of the 2014 recruiting class with guard Jon Davis verbally committing to the team.
Davis, a 6-foot-2-inch guard from Washington, D.C., is rated a three-star prospect by Rivals and 24/7sports.com. He was also recruited by Oklahoma State and Rutgers. Davis played for the DC Assault AAU, whose twitter feed first reported the commitment.
Scott Phillips, a reporter and high-school talent evaluator for Ny2lasports.com, said that the signing was a good pick up that fits Head Coach Oliver Purnell’s uptempo system.
“He should be a guy who can hopefully come in and score right away for DePaul,” Philips said. “He has the ability to get to the rim. He has an explosive first step. He’s a good, not great athlete, but he can play above the rim. He’s got a good midrange pull-up jumper and he can hit shots off the catch.
“Really, he’s just a guy that with the ball in his hands, looks to get his own offense and create his own shot,” Phillips said.
Phillips also mentioned that Renard Phillips, an assistant coach added by DePaul this summer, played a big role in Davis’ recruitment. Renard Phillips previously coached at the Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington, D.C., and provides a strong connection with potential recruits in that area.
“He’s played a huge role,” Scott Phillips said. “He’s a guy who came in with expectations to recruit that area, specifically the D.C. Assault program. By landing a kid like Jon Davis, it sends a message that DePaul is very viable in recruiting that area.”
Davis will replace guard Brandon Young, who graduates this year. Davis joins Billy Garrett Jr. and Rod Currington as the future of the Blue Demons’ backcourt.
He is the third commitment to the class of 2014, joining forwards Rashaun Stimage and Myke Henry.
In other recruiting news, prized recruit Cliff Alexander narrowed his search to four schools. Alexander dropped Michigan State from his list, leaving DePaul, Illinois, Memphis and Kansas as the final four. Alexander said he is still undecided, but a decision could be coming very, very soon.
