DePaul head coach Tony Stubblefield announced that Zion Cruz and Da’Sean Nelson have signed during the spring signing period.
Cruz is ranked among the nation’s top 50 players in the class of 2022 while Nelson is among the nation’s top 20 junior college players.
Cruz played last season at Donda Academy in Simi Valley, Calif., where he averaged 12.8 points per game. The New Jersey native is ranked No. 37 by 247Sports.com, No. 49 by Rivals.com and No. 72 by ESPN.com overall.
Among all shooting guards in the 2022 recruiting class, he is ranked second nationally by 247Sports.com, No. 10 by Rivals.com and No. 13 by ESPN.com.
“Zion possesses a high level of skill and can score the ball at all three levels,” said Stubblefield. “We believe his ability to get to his spots and get his teammates involved will help us tremendously. His versatility will allow us to spread the floor while using him on and off the ball.”
Prior to playing at Donda Academy, Cruz averaged 16.7 points per game at The Patrick School (N.J.) during the 2020-21 season and 20.5 points per game during the 2019-20 season at Hudson (N.J.) Catholic. Cruz also played for PSA Cardinals on EYBL circuit where he averaged 10.6 points per game during the summer of 2021.
Nelson played in 56 games over two seasons at Kilgore College (Texas) and averaged 13.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. The 2021-22 campaign saw the Rangers go 31-3 as the No. 3 seed in the NJCAA tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., where they reached the quarterfinals. Nelson averaged 13.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while playing in 32 games and earned North Zone first team All-Region XIV honors.
The Toledo, Ohio native averaged 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in his first season at Kilgore that saw the Rangers go 18-6 and reach the NJCAA tournament.
“A proven winner at the junior college level, Da’Sean adds a great deal of athleticism and physicality to our roster,” said Stubblefield. “Da’Sean finds a way to impact the game with and without the ball on the offensive end. Defensively, he can guard multiple positions and does not shy away from contact.”
(Release via DePaul)
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