BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: DEPAUL

November 13, 2008

COMMITMENT ALERT: Tony Freeland, 6'5 F from Fremont HS of Los Angeles (CA)

DePaul picked up a commitment on the first day of the early signing period when Los Angeles forward Tony Freeland selected the Blue Demons. The Fremont HS Standout Makes Decision (Varsity Times Insider) and signed letter of intent with Jerry Wainwright's program.


Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: Will Walker (PG)
Juniors: Darquavis Tucker (SG), Mac Koshwal (PF), Mario Stula (G/F), Mike Stovall (G/F)
Sophomores: Mike Bizoukas (PG), Eric Wallace (F), Jeremiah Kelly (PG), Devin Hill (F), Krys Faber (C), Kene Obi (C)
Freshmen: Tony Freeland (F)


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Less than a week after taking an official visit to DePaul, Tony Freeland is a signed, sealed and delivered new member of the Blue Demon program. The Fremont High School standout signed a letter of intent with DePaul yesterday, the first day that 2009 basketball recruits could sign binding letters of intent.

Last season at Fremont, a Los Angeles High School, Freeland was a standout for the Pathfinders as his relentless effort in the paint allowed him to be more productive than the many bigger players he was matched up against. Freeland is a very good athlete that plays with a strong motor. His game is more of a power forwards at this stage, even though he is 6-foot-5, but he has potential because of his athletic ability to transition to the wing.

DePaul landed their first commitment from the class of 2009 back in September and in doing so they make some inroads locally as JUCO standout Mike Stovall is coming back home to finish his college career at DePaul. The 6-foot-5 Stovall originally signed with Oregon State after a high school career at Chicago's Marshall High School.

At Oregon State Stovall played in just seven games last season, scoring six points in 38 total minutes of action. Stovall left the school after one semester as he never felt comfortable that far from home and enrolled at Mineral Area College in a program that usually has several players from the Chicago area. Stovall will compete this season at Mineral Area and then move on to DePaul with two years of eligibility left.

Stovall is an athletic and versatile guard who can shoot it from deep. As a senior he averaged around 20 points and 8 rebounds for the Commandos of Marshall and coach Lamont Bryant.


Another new face on the floor for 2009-2010 at DePaul will be Ohio State transfer Eric Wallace. Wallace visited DePaul last spring and cancelled a visit to LSU last weekend, when he decided that he would make the Blue Demons his future team. After sitting out the 2008-2009 season with DePaul, Wallace will have three years of eligibility remaining, beginning in the 2009-2010 season.

Wallace played just 72 minutes last season in 15 games with the Buckeyes averaging 1.8 PPG. Wallace is a 6’7 forward, originally from North Carolina, who spent an extra prep season at Hargrave Military Academy before signing with Ohio State.

We are still trying to pinpoint exactly where the recruiting priorities for DePaul are in the class of 2009. With the latest addition of Freeland, one scholarship is open for the class of 2009 and to improve their college basketball odds, the Blue Demons should aggressively pursue a difference maker that can score in the spring signing period.

Guards Darius Smith, of Marshall in Chicago and John Taylor of North Lawndale Prep also seem to be on the DePaul radar. Smith is looking like a spring signee at this point and there is some sentiment that Taylor could wind up going the JUCO route or attend prep school.

Other resources for DePaul and midwest recruiting news include ChicagoHoops.com, IllinoisHSbasketball.com and Illinois Prep Bulls-eye who all do a great job covering Midwest recruiting and updates often with news from DePaul on the recruiting trail. Our favorite source of DePaul specific information is BlueDemonsNation.com which has returned to keep DePaul fans up to date on all the happenings around the program.

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