Palo Verde’s Morgan commits to DePaul

Palo Verde boys basketball player Moses Morgan said Tuesday he gave an oral commitment Monday night to DePaul at the conclusion of his official recruiting visit.

Morgan, a senior swingman, picked the Blue Demons over scholarship offers from Indiana, Arizona State, UNLV, Minnesota, Clemson, UNR, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. His only other official visit was to Indiana from Sept. 12-13.

"I'm really relieved to get this out of the way and focus on my senior season," Morgan said. "I'm so excited to play in the Big East. They want me to come in and score, be a big leader."

Morgan said the biggest factors in his decision were Chicago, the ability to make an immediate impact and playing in the Big East Conference.

"When I got to Chicago, I was loving the city," he said. "I'm real excited to go there."

Morgan said he should be adjusted to playing in the Big East by his sophomore year, and he has big expectations at DePaul. He'll try to help the Blue Demons turn around after going 9-24 overall and 0-18 in the Big East last season.

"It's going to be hard at first," he said of the Big East. "But once I'm a sophomore, I'll be comfortable with how tough they are. By my junior year, we want to get to the Final Four."

The 6-foot-5-inch Morgan averaged 17.0 points and 7.5 rebounds as a junior, leading Palo Verde to a 24-6 record and the Class 4A state title game. Rivals.com and Scout.com rate him as a three-star prospect.

Morgan's father, Winston, said he was "overwhelmed with joy" at his son's decision.

"He's really worked hard at being a good player," said Winston Morgan, who played at Indiana in the 1980s. "Just to know that this is the right situation, I'm so happy for him. I'm really relieved."

Winston Morgan said the first person he and Moses called Tuesday to inform of the decision was UNLV coach Lon Kruger.

"We have so much respect for what he's done," Winston Morgan said. "Vegas is home, it's an awesome place, but (Moses) wanted to spread his wings a little bit."

Players are not bound by oral commitments. The first day Moses Morgan can sign a national letter of intent is Nov. 11.