'12 IN SF DeJuan Marrero (Committed to Depaul)
 

2012 SF: DeJuan Marrero
6'5" 200lbs
Gary, Indiana
Bowman Academy
AAU: Spiece Indy Heat

Offer: Yes.
Other offers: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue, Valparaiso


Bowman Academy's DeJuan Marrero, one of the state's top sophomore prospects, was impressive in front of several college coaches Tuesday at Howe.

Marrero had 12 points, 16 rebounds and six blocked shots in the Class A top-ranked Eagles' 89-72 win over Broad Ripple.

Marrero has offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue and Valparaiso, but said he is putting that aside during the season and probably won't make a commitment until he is a senior.

"Rebounding and blocking shots is probably the best part of my game now," Marrero said. "I still need to work on ballhandling and scoring, but I also try to get my teammates involved when I don't have my shot."
http://www.indystar.com/article/2009...pays-dividends


Marrero has already received scholarship offers from Valparaiso, Cincinnati, Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State and Illinois, and he's looking attending five schools -- the four Big Ten schools and Kentucky.
http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com...impresses.html

"I still need to work on ballhandling and scoring"

He'll fit right in with our current crop of Bearcats. (sigh)


I'm sure he's good, but we already had this conversation about shooting and fundamentals. At least half our team needs to have these skills..

True true, but it is early. The kid is very athletic. 6'5" 200lbs is a good size sophomore.

There seems to be concern that he is done growing and is a more natural power forward. However, he is the consensus #1 sophomore in Indiana.

If we've already offered half the state of Indiana, it makes sense we push for the best player.

Many think he'll need to develop his skills to play the 3 in college. He has plenty of time to develop.

Let's hope Cronin can find some guys who fit my criteria as well. This guy does sound like a player.

How they fared: top players at State (3/28/2010)

DeJuan Marrero, Bowman Academy: Bowman coach Marvin Rea said the 6-5 sophomore was nervous in the first half of Saturday's 74-52 Class A win over Barr-Reeve. But Marrero did plenty of damage in the second half as he was too quick and explosive for Barr-Reeve's interior players. He stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with 17 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks. Marrero does most of his damage from the inside and will need to develop his outside shot and ballhandling for the next level. Indiana and Purdue are among the schools that have offered Marrero.

IndyStar

2012 small forward Dejuan Marrero listed offers from Ohio State, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue and Cincinnati. He is also being recruited by Michigan, Marquette, Xavier, Florida and Kentucky.

The Hoop Scoop ranks Marrero the 38th best prospect in the 2012 class.

http://www.insidethehall.com/

Recently played for Puerto Rico's National Team. Here's a blurb:

On June 16 the highly recruited Northwest Indiana product traveled to Puerto Rico for the first time in 10 years. Though Marrero's playing time was spotty throughout the tournament, he managed to produce while on the floor. Highlighted by 13 points and six boards against the Virgin Islands in a 87-79 win on Tuesday. And a 12-point, five steal effort Wednesday in a 78-64 loss to Uruguay.

http://www.examiner.com/x-38570-Chic...rss-Recreation

Tough. That is his game. Tough defensively, tough rebounder, just tough. I, nor he, has any idea what position he will play in college. He played on the wing and struggled with his jumper and ball handling. If he gets a decent mid-range game and improves his ball handling, he will be a stud. What gets him over is he plays harder than anyone on the court at all times.

http://www.insidethehall.com/

DeJuan Marrero is a quick leaper, plays bigger than his size and can finish in transition. He knows he also has his skeptics.

"People say I don't have a jump shot," said the 6-5 junior from Gary Bowman Academy. "So I've been working hard to get that right."

Marrero played mostly on the low block as a sophomore on a loaded Bowman team (the Class A champion) and averaged 14 points and 12 rebounds. He expects to still do damage on the block this season, but also show more versatility.

"I'm still going to be rebounding, but probably playing more on the wing," he said. "Another big thing is being a leader. A lot of my guys I'd played with since third grade graduated last year. I looked up to those guys a lot so it's up to me now to show the new guys what to do."

Marrero, ranked No. 99 nationally by Rivals.com in the 2012 class, expects to make a college decision next summer. He has more than a few options. Marrero has an offer from Indiana and recently attended the Hoosiers' elite camp. He also took a recent visit to Marquette and said he has plans to take an unofficial visit to Xavier this weekend. But his school list remains long and he's "keeping all options open."

"I'm looking at what style the team plays and if they treat you like family," he said. "Academics are important (Marrero said he has a 3.0 grade-point average) and I want to make sure (coaches) aren't just telling you stuff just to say it. In my mind, it's still pretty wide open. My mom (Yolanda) just wants me to be happy where I go."

Marrero has been preparing himself for the season with 6 a.m. workouts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with his teammates. The schedule includes a Dec. 17 visit to defending Class 4A champion North Central. That game came up in a phone conversation this week with North Central junior D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who is being recruited by several of the same schools as Marrero.

"I told him he better be ready," Marrero said. "We talked about colleges. (Smith-Rivera) took a visit to Wake Forest (last weekend) and he said it was pretty cool. I'd like to get down there, too."

So how far along, exactly, is Marrero with his recruitment? Not very. He listed more than a dozen schools from all over the country that have shown various levels of interest and said many of those coaches plan on attending open gyms this fall.

"I haven't decided anything," he said. "I've talked some with my coach (Marvin Rea), but I'm taking it really slow."

DeJuan Marrero is a quick leaper, plays bigger than his size and can finish in transition. He knows he also has his skeptics.

"People say I don't have a jump shot," said the 6-5 junior from Gary Bowman Academy. "So I've been working hard to get that right."

Marrero played mostly on the low block as a sophomore on a loaded Bowman team (the Class A champion) and averaged 14 points and 12 rebounds. He expects to still do damage on the block this season, but also show more versatility.

"I'm still going to be rebounding, but probably playing more on the wing," he said. "Another big thing is being a leader. A lot of my guys I'd played with since third grade graduated last year. I looked up to those guys a lot so it's up to me now to show the new guys what to do."

Marrero, ranked No. 99 nationally by Rivals.com in the 2012 class, expects to make a college decision next summer. He has more than a few options. Marrero has an offer from Indiana and recently attended the Hoosiers' elite camp. He also took a recent visit to Marquette and said he has plans to take an unofficial visit to Xavier this weekend. But his school list remains long and he's "keeping all options open."

"I'm looking at what style the team plays and if they treat you like family," he said. "Academics are important (Marrero said he has a 3.0 grade-point average) and I want to make sure (coaches) aren't just telling you stuff just to say it. In my mind, it's still pretty wide open. My mom (Yolanda) just wants me to be happy where I go."

Marrero has been preparing himself for the season with 6 a.m. workouts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with his teammates. The schedule includes a Dec. 17 visit to defending Class 4A champion North Central. That game came up in a phone conversation this week with North Central junior D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who is being recruited by several of the same schools as Marrero.

"I told him he better be ready," Marrero said. "We talked about colleges. (Smith-Rivera) took a visit to Wake Forest (last weekend) and he said it was pretty cool. I'd like to get down there, too."

So how far along, exactly, is Marrero with his recruitment? Not very. He listed more than a dozen schools from all over the country that have shown various levels of interest and said many of those coaches plan on attending open gyms this fall.

"I haven't decided anything," he said. "I've talked some with my coach (Marvin Rea), but I'm taking it really slow."

http://blogs.indystar.com/recruiting...ro-visits.html