EL PASO, Texas – Four-star (ESPN.com) and top-150 recruit Donovan Criss (William J. Brennan HS) has signed with the UTEP men's basketball team, head coach Joe Golding announced Tuesday. Criss will attend school and compete with the program beginning with the 2026-27 season.
 
A brief profile on Criss and a quote from Golding follows below.
 
Donovan Criss
Guard
6-5, 180
William J. Brennan HS
San Antonio, Texas
 
Four-star (ESPN.com) and top-150 recruit out of William J. Brennan HS in San Antonio, Texas … joining the Miners will teammate and three-star recruit Delano Tarpley ... has helped lead the perennial power to a combined record of 97-16 in three years, including 47-1 within district play (last district loss in '22-23 season) … team has won 30+ games all three season with Criss on varsity … put up 11.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.8 apg and 1.4 spg as a junior to help lead the stacked program to a stellar 34-3 record in 2024-25 … that included an undefeated mark (16-0) in district play … connected on 51.7 percent (124-240) from the floor and nailed 48-123 from distance (39.0 percent) … made 79 trips to the charity stripe … has starred for the school since his freshman year … went off for 20 double-digit scoring efforts in 2024-25, including a quartet of 20-point showings … scored 21 points in a win against Roosevelt HS (11/30/24) … capped a three-tilt stretch where he averaged 19.3 ppg with a 24-point outburst in a rout of SGPHS … put up 20 points against Taft HS (1/7/25)  … tallied 21 points against Marshall (1/29/25) as part of a career-best six-game double-digit scoring streak late in the season … pulled down at least five rebounds in eight different contests, including a pair of eight-board efforts … posted 11 double-digit scoring games as a sophomore, with a season-best 17 points against Nimitz (11/16/23) … flirted with a double-double (11 points, nine rebound) in the campaign opener vs. LSSS … showed flashes as a freshman on the varsity team by going off for 23 points in just the third game of the year against Barber Hills (11/17/22) … will surpass 1,000 points for his HS career by season's end … has nailed more than 40 triples in all three campaigns … chose UTEP over numerous other DI programs, including Arizona State and Mississippi State.
 
"We couldn't be more excited to have Donovan Criss in the fold for the future. He's one of the most talented players in his class and as a 4-star, top-150 recruit, he's one of the highest-rated players to ever commit to UTEP. We love his ability to defend, and shoot the ball at a high level, and we think he could become one of the best players in our conference. He comes from a great family and a great program, and we will immediately be better when he arrives in El Paso."
Head coach Joe Golding
 
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