INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI Athletics Department and head basketball coach Jason Gardner announced the signing of Mike DePersia (Cherry Hill, N.J./Haddonfield Memorial) to a National Letter of Intent to join the Jaguars, beginning next season. DePersia, a 5-foot-10 guard, helped lead his Haddonfield squad to New Jersey's Group 2 state title last March.   

"Mike is your prototypical point guard. He a coach's son and comes from a basketball family and it shows in how he plays," Gardner said. "He just knows the game, inside and out. He makes shots, he sets up his teammates and he's an extension of the coaching staff on the court. As a staff, we fell in love with his game and the way he plays. 

"He'll immediately make us a tougher program because his toughness is contagious. We're just excited to see how his high school season plays out and we're excited to get him here and ingrained in our program."

The IUPUI staff first saw DePersia with his Team Speed/YIS AAU team in Las Vegas in July, earning a scholarship offer from the Jaguars. He later made his verbal commitment following an official visit in September. DePersia is a four-year starter at Haddonfield and been named among South Jersey's top players throughout his career. He surpassed 1,000 career points last February, joining his twin brothers Nick and Rob in accomplishing the feat. In doing so, they became just the fourth family in New Jersey history to boast three 1,000 point scorers. Both Nick and Rob are currently playing collegiately at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J.

"I've always seen myself as a Division I player," DePersia said. "It's every player's dream to receive that [Division I] offer. I was excited when I finally received the offer from IUPUI and was being recruited by some Division II programs and some other Division I programs. I had to do some research on the [IUPUI] program and the university and I liked what I found out.

Consistently described as a tough, slick, smooth point guard, DePersia's bloodlines helped his game develop by playing against his older brothers and older competition. 

"The games in the backyard and in the driveway were always intense against my older brothers. They were always bigger than me, so I had to work on my game in being able to play deeper and getting my shot off against bigger defenders. We all still workout together when we can and work on our games together."

DePersia averaged just over 13 points per game as a junior and scored a game-winning putback in an overtime win over Camden in a sectional semifinal game to earn a spot in the South Jersey Group 2 final. He then sealed a four-point win in the Group 2 semifinal by drilling a pair of free throws with 3.7 seconds to play. He capped the run to the state title with 22 points, four boards, three assists and three steals in an impressive 62-45 win over Newark Central for the NJSIAA State Group 2 championship. 

DePersia intends on studying engineering at IUPUI. 
 

IUPUI Men's Basketball Recruiting Class (as of 11/21/2018)
Name	Pos.	Ht.	Hometown	High School
Mike DePersia	G	5-10	Cherry Hill, N.J.	Haddonfield Memorial
Calvin Temple	G	6-1	Olive Branch, Miss.	Center Hill
Taevion White	F	6-7	Prosper, Texas	Prosper / Pro Holmes Sports Academy