Mike DePersia comes from a family that has a history in basketball. Mike and older brothers Nick and Rob DePersia each exceeded 1,000 points in their high school careers, the fourth time in New Jersey history that three brothers reached that level. Twins Nick and Rob DePersia later went to Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., where Nick scored 1,463 points and Rob scored 1,004 points. Meanwhile, Mike was closing his Haddonfield High School career where he finished with 1,518 points.
Mike talks about how coming from a family with strong basketball ties helped him become the player he is today.
“I mean it really started in the backyard,” he said. “As old as I can remember I was always the younger brother that could barely walk yet, but was always trying to play with my older brothers no matter what they were doing. That happened to be basketball and that was something the three of us could really share.
“My dad (Rob DePersia) coached me a lot growing up,” he went on. “I wouldn’t be here today without my dad at all and what he did for me through the game of basketball.”
The bond that these brothers and their father share fuel them each day to become they best basketball players they can be.
Mike takes pride in many things about basketball, but there is something he makes sure he does well, and that is being a great teammate. “I think just definitely that just goes a long way,” he said. “I think (with) a lot of winning teams it’s all about community and being together and I think all the winning teams are really close, supportive and everything. Always being positive even when you lose a couple games, go down a couple points. It’s all about fighting adversity and being good teammates coming together as a whole.”
Coach Byron Rimm II said he was ecstatic when DePersia committed to play for the Jaguars. “Mike was named one of the most decorated high school basketball players in the last decade in New Jersey,” Rimm said. “DePersia always encourages his teammates and never lets them be down about themselves when a mistake happens. It’s always next play or you got the next one. It was a blessing to get someone like DePersia.”
DePersia became a better player throughout last season with the leadership of teammates Marcus Burk and Jaylen Minnett. “I mean them being older and having seen and been through a lot more and it being my first year playing Division I basketball, it definitely helps out a lot,” he said. “Because they have all been through it and they can just relate to anything that I’m going through…
“They’ve been there. You can say so much about them on the basketball court because both of them are 1,000-point scorers in only three years. They can score the rock but both of them are good teammates too. Off the court, they always try to be competitive, get the best out of everybody, and that’s all you can really ask for as two of your top players.”
Another teammate DePersia had high praise for was senior Isaiah Williams. “Me and Isaiah Williams spent a lot of time together and me and him grew a lot together,” DePersia said. “I know a lot of things he is going through that he’ll help me, I’ll help him.”
Last season, DePersia appeared in all 32 games and started 10 of those games. He averaged 2.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.02. “As a freshman, being able to start 10 games is good to get under your belt,” he said. “I learned last year or any year that I’ve been alive, basketball or just in life, there’s the mental aspect that is a huge deal with it. In my whole life I wasn’t used to not winning as much. I definitely learned a lot mentally and physically as a player.
“I think just getting all that on-court experience was good to have my first year and now I can just build on and really be ready to get after it this year.”
Mike described how the pandemic impacted him during the past couple of months without having a regular training schedule.
“It was weird at first getting back on the court,” he said. “But after a couple of weeks, a couple of practices, I mean, we’re getting up and down a lot more, being more repetitive. So, it’s getting back to normal with everything. I guess the only difference is making sure we’re wearing our masks and being socially distant off the court and everything as much as we can have a season and whenever we’re going to start.”
