PSA Cardinals forward Damian Mojica is stepping into next week’s open workouts at The Masters School in New York with plenty of attention already lined up.
The Class of 2028 prospect told ZAGSBLOG on Thursday that several programs have said they plan to stop by once the open gym season opens Tuesday. Among the schools on that list are Purdue, Syracuse, Stanford, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, UConn, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Xavier, Virginia, Boston College, and Wake Forest.
Purdue and Syracuse have been the most consistent voices in Mojica’s recruitment, while UConn is the latest school to get involved. Syracuse, now led by first-year head coach Gerry McNamara, is working on setting up a fall visit for the 6-foot-8 forward.
Mojica’s rise this summer has been fueled by a dramatic change in his body and game. He has dropped weight, become a more explosive finisher above the rim, and at times has taken on point-forward duties.
Purdue extended an offer last month, and head coach Matt Painter has made it clear that Mojica would not need to overhaul his game if he eventually winds up in the Big Ten.
The Yonkers, N.Y. native has long valued his feel for the game, pointing to his passing as one of the strongest parts of his skill set. He’s also comfortable handling the ball, knocking down outside shots, and scoring through contact around the basket.
That all showed up at the NEPSAC Showcase in Worcester, Mass., where Mojica put up 20.8 points and 4.5 points while playing with confidence and a multi-faceted two-way style.
His recruitment picked up almost immediately after the clock hit midnight on June 15, when the contact period opened and he heard from Stanford, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Boston University and others.
Mojica’s academic background is also part of the appeal. He spent his freshman year at Horace Mann HS in New York and is now at Masters, another highly regarded private school. He helped lead Masters to a 22-win season last year.
With the PSA Cardinals on the EYBL circuit this summer, Mojica averaged 15.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and three assists per game.
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The pieces around Lopez are part of what makes this matchup interesting, from wide receiver Carlos Hernandez as a passing-game target to linebacker Vincent Firenze setting the tone on defense. Purdue will not just be dealing with a team trying to find its footing under a new staff, but one that has already shown enough recent signs of progress to suggest the challenge is more than a routine nonconference check-in. [Read more 🡒]
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The most obvious concern for Purdue is how much the quarterback can tilt the game if he gets comfortable, especially against a secondary still searching for an early-season read on itself. Wake Forest has an attack that can stretch a defense horizontally and vertically, and it comes into this matchup with enough rhythm to make the Boilermakers respect every layer of the field. There is also the question of whether the Deacons can have one of their top receiving threats available after he left the Akron game early, a detail that could shape how aggressive they are when the ball goes up. [Read more 🡒]