DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Signs Charles McKinney to National Letter of Intent
4/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
April 13, 2011
CHICAGO - DePaul head coach Oliver Purnell added another member to next season's incoming recruiting class with the signing of Charles McKinney to a National Letter of Intent. McKinney is a Chicagoland native that played three seasons at Maine East High School before competing last season at Quality Education Academy in North Carolina.
"We're really pleased to add Charles to the fold," said Purnell. "He is the kind of tough athlete from a winning program that we need to build with. He's anxious to be here and we're anxious to have him."
McKinney, a 6-4 guard with a 6-8 wingspan, joins DePaul's top 25-ranked recruiting class that includes Chicagoland signees Jamee Crockett and Macari Brooks along with Orlando native Shane Larkin and Derrell Robertson from Mississippi. CBSSports.com affiliated MaxPreps.com ranks DePaul's incoming class at No. 25 in the nation and seventh among the BIG EAST's 16 programs.
Regarded as an athletic, versatile wing player and defender, McKinney is ranked among the nation's top 60 players at the shooting guard position by ESPN.com. In his season at Quality Education Academy, he averaged 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.2 steals per game as the Pharoahs finished with a 26-4 record and won the NCSAA Division I championship for the third straight year.
Prior to attending QEA, McKinney was a Blue Demon at Maine East High School in Park Ridge, Ill., where he helped lead the team to 37 victories over his two varsity seasons.
The five-player freshmen class joins transfer Donnavan Kirk next season in Lincoln Park. Kirk joined the Blue Demons in January at the start of the Winter Quarter and will be eligible to play following the conclusion of 2011 Autumn Quarter exams just before the Thanksgiving holiday. The Pontiac, Mich. native was a redshirt freshman at Miami (Fla.) at the start of the 2010-11 season.
