2019 top 30 forward Romeo Weems commits to DePaul

Nearly 24 hours after the fact, the news is still shocking.

Tuesday afternoon, Dave Leitao and the DePaul Blue Demons staff received a verbal commitment from 2019 top 30 forward Romeo Weems.

Weems, a Michigan native, chose the Blue Demons over powerhouses like Michigan State, Michigan, and Ohio State. No one saw it coming.

Why DePaul? Weems explained his decision to the Detroit Free-Press on Tuesday evening.

“I never really had a favorite college,’’ Weems said. “I never said I was going to Michigan State, people put that out there and wrote that. They were in my top five. I never said they were my leader. I went to DePaul on my visit and I knew that was where I wanted to be. Coach (Leitao) didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear; he told me what I needed to do to get better. Other coaches were telling me how good I was. They told me the truth at DePaul. Coach was the real deal.’’

Obviously, a lot can happen between now and 2019. But that quote seems like a positive sign for the Blue Demons.

As far as on-court potential, the sky is the limit for Weems. He can play pretty much any position, and averaged 23.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 4.8 steals per game last season. Weems is the type of player that entices other top recruits to come to DePaul, which could be an excellent sign going forward.