DePaul’s 2021 recruiting class is already one of the strongest in the country, currently  ranked No. 7 in the nation, according to 247 Sports. 

Well, the Blue Demons are already looking ahead to 2022 and looking to boost their ranking in that class. On Sunday, 2022 three-star guard Preston Murphy Jr. verbally committed to DePaul, giving head coach Dave Leitao his first commitment for 2022. 

The 6-foot-1 and 175-pound point guard chose DePaul over six other schools: Clemson, Bryant, Siena, Rhode Island, Buffalo and UMass. 

Murphy is the son of former Creighton assistant coach Preston Murphy Sr.

Murphy will be entering his junior season at St. Andrews high school in Barrington, R.I. His coach, Michael Hart, tells The DePaulia that Murphy is a good scorer who is also a “scrappy defender.”

“Preston is a scorer deluxe who [is] capable of running a team if needed,” Hart said. “He also is a scrappy defender with terrific communication skills.”

Proud to announce I am committed to Depaul University! Go Blue Demons! ??#playingpossessed pic.twitter.com/hLr4VXiixr

— Preston Murphy (@_prestonmurphy) November 1, 2020

The Blue Demons already have a similar type of point guard in senior Charlie Moore. Moore is under six feet tall, but he led the Big East in assists and was second in scoring last season. 

Murphy will be able to play a similar role for DePaul and help fill the void at point guard when Moore leaves either after the 2020-21 season or the following year.

“Just the same type of way he has the team oriented around Moore,” Murphy told 247 Sports. “The style of play, needing someone in my position in my class, a lot of the stuff that you see with Charlie Moore, just the same type of style as that.”

Murphy still has two years to play in high school before coming over to DePaul, but his coach believes his point guard can improve in multiple areas. One area that Hart thinks Murphy will improve on before entering college is his strength.

The Big East is known for being an aggressive league with a history of dominant big men. For Murphy, getting stronger will be integral to his success when playing conference opponents. 

“Preston has embraced the weight room and made gains,” Hart said. “He will need to continue to work hard at getting himself physically ready for the demands of the Big East Conference.”

Currently, DePaul has five recruits already committed to the 2021 class: Ahamad Bynum, Keon Edwards, Kok Yat, Brett Hardt Jr. and Deivi Jones. The Blue Demons’ 2021-22 roster has the potential to be larger than usual because the NCAA has granted all winter sports athletes an extra year of eligibility, which gives seniors the opportunity to come back for another season. 

But after the 2021-22 season, teams will need to come back down to the 13-scholarship limit for basketball. So the addition of Murphy will help the Blue Demons fill important roster spots, and possibly a starting position, when multiple players will be graduating. 

“Preston is a gym rat who works extremely hard,” Hart said. “He’s an outstanding scorer and does so in a variety of ways.”