Groce signs five to first recruiting class
By: Aaron Bennett
Updated: November 14, 2012
Honolulu, Hawaii. (UI Release) -University
of
Illinois head coach John Groce announced Wednesday the signing of five
student-athletes to national letters of intent. Those players, listed
alphabetically, are Austin Colbert, Malcolm
Hill, Maverick Morgan, Kendrick Nunn and JaylonTate.
Illinois has recruited the No. 10 class in the nation according to Rivals. Scout, meanwhile, ranks the class
22nd
while ESPN lists it at No. 23. In seven months on the job, Groce and
his staff have landed a top-25 class according to scouting services.
"This
is an exciting day for our program as we welcome Austin, Malcolm,
Maverick, Kendrick and Jaylon to
the Fighting Illini family," Groce said. "One of the top goals we had in
this first year here was to sign a five-player class that fits our
needs at every position, and I couldn't be more pleased with our
results. These are five outstanding young men who have
tremendous character, come from great families, and of course excel on
the basketball floor.
"A
great deal of credit goes to our assistant coaches, who have worked
tirelessly on the recruiting trail,"
Groce continued. "We were able to identify and successfully recruit
these five players who share our vision and will help us be successful.
Coach Walker, Coach Ford, and Coach Parham have all hit the ground
running and played equally large roles in putting
this class together."
Colbert
is a 6-9, athletic forward from Gladstone, N.J. He attends Gill St.
Bernard's High School, the No.
25-ranked team in the country according to a Preseason poll by MaxPreps.
Colbert is a top-100 recruit who excelled at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in
June and competed at the Nike Global Challenge in July.
Hill is a 6-5 wing from Belleville, Ill. Another top-100 recruit, he was a first-team Associated
Press
all-state selection last season. Hill averaged 21.3 points as a junior
at Belleville East High School, setting the school's single-season
scoring record with 666 points.
Morgan is a 6-10 center from Springboro, Ohio. The three-star recruit averaged 21.3 points, 9.6 rebounds
and 3.5 blocked shots as a junior at Springboro High School, earning special mention All-Ohio accolades.
Nunn
is a 6-3 guard from Chicago who has been a part of three straight state
championship teams at Simeon
High School. The top-100 recruit earned All-State honors after averaging
15.1 points as a junior. Nunn also was a member of USA Basketballteam
that won gold at the FIBA U17 World Championships in Lithuania in July.
Tate is a 6-2 point guard from Chicago who teamed with Nunn to help lead Simeon to the IHSA state title last
season. The three-star recruit saw his stock soar this summer and fall in open gym workouts.
Nunn
and Tate continue the proud pipeline of Chicago Simeon standouts
attending the University of Illinois,
a list that includes former NBA star Nick Anderson,all-time UI scoring
leader Deon Thomas, Kevin Turner, Bryant Notree, Ervin Small and Calvin
Brock.
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