Big North Players To Watch: DePaul Catholic
Alex Fydryszewski
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<p>The Big North Catholic School division is one of the top in the region and the teams have enough depth to each receive a post. </p>
<p>The DePaul Spartans are primarily known as a football power but have a talented crop of young basketball players in the building right now. They were 15-11 last year playing a difficult slate that will only benefit these young players as they continue to mature. There are a host of scholarship level players in this program right now.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1150270" first="Tyler" last="Koenig"]</strong> | 6’9” | F | De Paul 2023</p>
<p>Skilled big man with a soft touch around the basket. He runs the floor pretty well for a bigger guy and also has good agility. Hits the boards hard. Averaged 13&9 as a junior. He had 25 vs Lakeland, 24 vs Paramus Catholic. He more than held his own against top competition, including a double-double(18&18) vs Teaneck. One of the top rising big men in the NJ Class of 2023.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1411622" first="Mekhi" last="Ragland"]</strong> | 6’6” | F | DePaul 2025</p>
<p>Ragland is a physical big man who had a strong freshman year for DePaul. He’s got a big frame and is a different type of player than Koenig, though his ceiling is at that same level. He wasn’t afraid to mix it up in the paint and also has a soft touch near the rim. He’s going to grow into an immovable object on the low block as he continues to mature and gain muscle. He had double-doubles vs Hackensack(13&14) and St Joes(16&12) that stood out as his top games as a freshman. He’s already got D1 interest and will run with a loaded PSA Cardinals 2025 team this summer. </p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1411408" first="Jordan" last="Ghee"]</strong> | 6’3” | G |DePaul 2025</p>
<p>Ghee is a long, lean guard who’s got smooth handles and a soft release on his shot. Comfortable attacking the basket or shooting it from deep, he’s going to grow into an offensive threat over the next few years. His best games as a freshman were 14 vs Bergen Catholic&Paterson Charter, who both made TOC. He also added 13 vs Teaneck. His future is very bright and there will be scholarship opportunities for him.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1153956" first="Jeremy" last="Clayville"]</strong> | 6’1” | G | DePaul 2024</p>
<p>Clayville is a scoring machine capable of beating you in a number of ways. He’s got a blink-and-you-missed-it release on his shot but also breaks defenders down well. He’s a good passer and capable lead guard. He has had a good spring with the NJ BeastsAll In, including a great performance at the Pittsburgh Jam Fest vs the Gauchos. He had 27 vs Union Catholic and 21 vs Delbarton as a sophomore. Colleges will be lining up to follow him the next two years.</p>
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<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1456805" first="Johnny" last="Cotton"]</strong> | 6’0” | G | DePaul 2023</p>
<p>Cotton had a strong junior season. He’s a lethal shooter from deep on the catch or off the dribble and also has a nice pullup in the mid range. He’s a hustler on defense and also passes the ball well. He had 18 vs Paterson Kennedy and scored 13 against ultra-talented Don Bosco twice. He’s the type of player that D3 schools should be coming after with serious interest, given the high level of competition DePaul plays on the regular, he’ll be battle tested and ready to contribute in college.</p>
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