Busting Brackets
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Big East Basketball: Analyzing early 2019 recruiting classes

By Lukas Harkins

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 27: A Villanova Wildcats basketball goes through the net during warmups prior to the game against the Seton Hall Pirates at the Wells Fargo Center on January 27, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 27: A Villanova Wildcats basketball goes through the net during warmups prior to the game against the Seton Hall Pirates at the Wells Fargo Center on January 27, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – FEBRUARY 12: Coach Leitao of DePaul looks on. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – FEBRUARY 12: Coach Leitao of DePaul looks on. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

3. DePaul Blue Demons

National Ranking: No. 26

Yes, you read that correctly. With three players already committed for the 2019 class, the DePaul Blue Demons own a top-30 class in the country and are ranked third in the Big East. Quite simply, the work that head coach Dave Leitao and his staff have done on the recruiting trail as of late has been tremendous. It is also important to note that their improvements on the court during this 2018-19 campaign have been solid as well (though they are still near the bottom of the Big East).

Perhaps the most important commitment of this class comes in the form of point guard Markese Jacobs. He might not be the highest-rated player in the class (more on that in a sec), but he is a local product straight out of Chicago, IL. Ranked as the No. 101 prospect in the class, Jacobs is a 5-foot-11 point guard who does a superb job running in transition. Although a bit undersized, he can be a strong perimeter defender and is explosively quick. As a member of Mac Irvin Fire (EYBL) this past summer, he averaged 14.3 points (.439/.273/.697), 3.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. In addition to his play on the court, the importance of Coach Leitao landing a top Chicago recruit should not be understated.

Oh, and remember how he is not even the top commit in the class so far? That is because the Blue Demons also landed highly-touted power forward Romeo Weems. A well-built 6-foot-7 forward out of Michigan, Weems is ranked as the No. 50 player in the class. He is a superb athlete with the strength needed to get to the basket off the bounce as well as snag rebounds. He can stretch the floor a bit too. Weems was a featured member of his EYBL team this past summer, posting 15.3 points (.424/.333/.716), 7.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game.

To round out the class, Coach Leitao and Co. also landed a project recruit in shooting guard Oscar Lopez. He is ranked at just No. 350 in the class but brings solid size for the position and seems to always be working on both ends of the floor. His high effort level is well documented and that should translate to playing time in the future for the Blue Demons.

On the whole, this is an outstanding recruiting class for DePaul but it is also important to mention that they are also bringing in Carte’Are Gordon as a transfer from Saint Louis. Gordon was a top-100 recruit in the 2018 class who started in nine of the 13 games he played prior to electing to transfer this past season. He will be an impact player as well once eligible.

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