Chris Obekpa, the top shot-blocking big man available in the Class of 2012, took an official visit to DePaul last weekend and has four officials remaining.

The 6-foot-9 Obekpa, averaging 12 points, 15 rebounds and 9.5 blocks for Our Savior New American (13-1), is considering 12 schools and no other officials have been mapped out, Our Savior assistant Eric Jaklitsch told SNY.tv.

“Everybody’s trying to get us back to campus,” Jaklitsch said. “It’s tough when we’re playing and everything.”

Obekpa’s list currently includes DePaul, St. John’s, Seton Hall, UConn, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Providence, UCLA, Texas, Oregon, Florida and Kentucky. Everyone but Kentucky has offered, Jaklitsch said. (more…)

Worrel Clahar, a 6-foot point guard from Brooklyn and Lawson State Community College in Alabama, verbally pledged to DePaul late Thursday night.

He will enroll as soon as possible and have two years of eligibility remaining, a source told SNY.tv.

Clahar averaged 12.2 points, 7 assist and 3.9 steals while being named first-team all-conference last season.

He figures to help out at the point guard spot behind sophomore Brandon Young and senior Jeremiah Kelly. DePaul recently lost commit Shane Larkin to Miami.

Earlier this week, DePaul landed 2012 small forward DeJuan Marrero of Gary, Ind.

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Brandon Mobley is down to Auburn, Seton Hall and DePaul and hopes to decide after taking an official to DePaul in early April.

“Yes, sometime within the next two weeks,” Mobley said Tuesday by phone. ”I’m actually going to visit DePaul as soon as I get off spring break.” He said the DePaul visit was set for April 8-9.

The 6-foot-9, 215-pound power forward from St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy in Delafield, Wisc., has already taken visits to Auburn and Seton Hall.

As for Auburn, he said, “I like the facility, the campus. It’s a brand new arena. I like the team and it being closer to my home.” (more…)

2011 DePaul commit Braeden Anderson says Cal is now the top choice for his new destination after signing his release papers.

“Cal is the favorite, I would say,” the 6-foot-8 forward told Alex Kline of TheRecruitScoop.com. “I have a good friend on the team, my fellow Canadian, Emerson Murray. They have really nice facilities, great academics and it wouldn’t hurt living in California.” (more…)

Next Thursday will mark the one-year anniversary of DePaul’s last Big East win.

Since a victory over Marquette on Jan. 20, 2010, the Blue Demons have lost 17 straight Big East games, including Wednesday’s 78-67 home loss to Seton Hall.

DePaul is 1-39 in its last 40 Big East games.

“There are moments of frustration for me and really I felt like a game like last night could’ve been a turning point for us because we had been playing progressively better in the Big East,” first-year head coach Oliver Purnell said on Thursday’s conference call. (more…)

While this was supposed to be a “down year” for the Big East, one look at the first edition of the 2011 RPI rankings shows otherwise.

This week’s ranking lists eight Big East teams among the top 18, with Georgetown at No. 1, Syracuse at No. 3, UConn at No. 5, St. John’s at No. 7, Pittsburgh at No. 10, West Virginia at No. 12, Notre Dame at No. 14 and Villanova at No. 18.

No other league has as many as three teams in the top 20. (more…)

Jabari Brown’s list of seven schools has now expanded to nine schools.

Sort of.

His father, David, said Maryland and Miami are now being considered along with the original seven of Cal, Washington, Oregon, St. John’s, Georgia Tech, UConn and DePaul.

“He’s reconsidering Maryland at this point,” David Brown said Wednesday night by phone. “He’s also kind of looking at Miami a little bit. Jabari was originally not that interested in them. Now he’s a little more interested.”

The 6-foot-5 Brown of Oakland, Calif., is the No. 5 shooting guard in the Class of 2011. (more…)

Phil Greene, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound senior combo guard from Chicago, now has a top three.

“I like West Virginia, St. John’s and DePaul,” Greene, who attends IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla., said Tuesday by text.

Greene visited St. John’s unofficially this week and enjoyed his time in New York.

“The visit was fun,” Greene said. “They showed me the practice gym and around the school. They also took me to the Garden where they play their home games.”

Greene has set officials with St. John’s the weekend of Sept. 3/4 and West Virginia Sept. 10/11. (more…)

Jabari Brown, the No. 3 shooting guard in the Class of 2011, has trimmed his list to seven schools and is planning visits.

“Washington, UConn, Georgia Tech, Oregon, DePaul, St. John’s and Cal,” Brown said by phone.

An Oakland, Calif. native who had a terrific summer with the Drew Gooden Soldiers, only has one official planned, to Washington Sept. 18.

“I’m going up to Washington,” he said. “That’s the only one I have but I’m working on a few more. I should have a few more set in the next few days.” (more…)

The Chicago Sun-Times is standing by its story that the father of 6-foot-10 forward Anthony Davis of Chicago Perspectives Charter asked Kentucky for money in return for his son’s commitment.

In a story posted on its Website early Friday, reporter Michael O’Brien cites “sources from three separate universities …that [Anthony] Davis Sr. asked for money in return for his son’s commitment, with the amounts ranging from $125,000 to $150,000.”

When O’Brien reached Davis Sr. Thursday, the father reportedly said: ”Thanks for ruining my son. Thank you very much.”

Georgette L. Greenlee, an attorney representing Davis Sr. and his wife, Erainer Eberhardt-Davis, also denied the original Sun-Times story, which cited “rumors/sources” in support of the contention that Kentucky had paid $200,000 for Davis. (more…)