DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Adds Two in Early Signing Period
11/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO - DePaul head coach Dave Leitao announced today that Jaylen Butz and Justin Roberts will join the program starting in the 2017-18 season. The duo completed paperwork in the November signing period that runs from Nov. 9-16, 2016.
Roberts, a 5-11 guard, is finishing his prep career at Findlay Prep and the Pilots are ranked No. 7 in the USA TODAY Super 25 preseason poll. Prior to Findlay Prep, Roberts starred at Pike High School in Indianapolis where he averaged 16.8 points, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game as a junior. Rated as a four-start recruit by Scout.com and ESPN.com, he was selected to the Indiana Junior All-Star team and was a second team selection to the All-Central Indiana Super Team. Roberts played for Spiece Indy Heat on the AAU circuit and averaged 11.9 points and 3.2 assists per game during play in the EYBL.
"We are thrilled to officially welcome both Justin and his family to our DePaul basketball family. Justin is a quick, tough play-making point guard who can both score the ball and make his teammates better," said Leitao. "He has the ball on a string and plays with great pace. He is a very good pull-up jump shooter and crafty finisher around the basket. Justin will come into our program having been very well coached by Bill Zych at Pike High School, a traditional power in the tradition-rich state of Indiana and will now spend his senior year playing for Paul Washington Sr. at national power Findlay Prep. Beyond the great skill he possesses, we love the personality that he will bring with him to Chicago. He is a highly competitive young man who is always communicating with his teammates. He brings a winning mentality to the court every day. We are very excited about his future here at DePaul."
Butz is also an Indiana native playing his senior year at North Side High School in Fort Wayne. The 6-9 forward was also a member of the Indiana Junior All-Star team a year ago after averaging 15.5 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Butz also played for Spiece Indy Heat and averaged 7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds on the EYBL circuit. Ranked as a three-star recruit by Scout.com and 247Sports, he averaged 9.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots per game during his sophomore season at North Side.
"We are very excited to welcome Jaylen and his family to our DePaul basketball family. Jaylen is an athletic and mobile big man with a developing skill set. He is a very good finisher around the basket and rebounds the ball out of his area," said Leitao. "For someone standing 6-9, his ability to run the floor and move his feet is extremely rare. We think his agility will allow him to become a versatile defender for us. He is another player that will come to us well coached by Shabaz Khaliq at North Side, one of the top programs in the state of Indiana. He is just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential and is hungry to get better. We are excited about his future here as a Blue Demon."
Butz and Roberts join transfers Austin Grandstaff and Max Strus as newcomers to the roster next season. Grandstaff and Strus are sitting out the 2016-17 season under NCAA transfer guidelines. Grandstaff, a 6-4 guard, was ranked among the nation's top 50 players coming out of high school before playing in 10 games at Ohio State as a freshman while Strus, a 6-6 guard, scored over 1,000 points in his two seasons at Lewis University while earning NCAA Division II All-American honors.
The Blue Demons open the 2016-17 season this weekend at McGrath-Phillips Arena. DePaul hosts Robert Morris on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. The game can be seen on FS1 and heard on WYLL 1160 AM. Following the Robert Morris game, DePaul begins its final season at Allstate Arena with a Nov. 17 game against Rutgers. The Blue Demons host 15 games in Rosemont this season to conclude a 37-year run in the facility before moving to Chicago's South Loop next season at the Event Center at McCormick Square.
