Nick Ongenda will not play for Western Kentucky this fall and instead announced he will sign with DePaul University, following a former Hilltopper assistant.

The Daily News learned that Ongenda, a four-star forward who signed with Rick Stansbury’s Hilltoppers in November, was recently granted a release from his signed letter of intent. Ongenda never made it to WKU’s campus this summer and announced via his Instagram page on Monday his commitment to DePaul, a school in Chicago competing in the Big East Conference.

“I would love to thank all my support and love the WKU fans have given me on my journey to a better college experience,” Ongenda wrote in his post. “I am truly happy that I got to meet a wonderful staff, coaches and potential teammates. Unfortunately, after a lot of thought, I have decided to commit to DePaul for 2019. Go Blue Demons.”

The 6-foot-10, 190-pound Ongenda reclassified and moved up to the Class of 2019 coming out of Southwest Christian Academy in Little Rock, Ark. Ongenda’s commitment to DePaul could pair him with former Hilltopper assistant Marc Hsu, who has joined the Blue Demons’ staff.

Hsu was Ongenda’s primary recruiter at WKU and has a longstanding relationship with Ongenda’s high school coach, Anthony Owens. Hsu left WKU’s staff after two seasons to pursue other opportunities.

With Ongenda’s release, WKU’s Class of 2019 is accounted for on campus between forward Isaiah Cozart and guards Jackson Harlan and Jordan Rawls.

– Follow sports reporter Elliott Pratt on Twitter @EPrattBGDN or visit bgdailynews.com