Bollant signs six to first recruiting class
Updated: November 14, 2012
Champaign, Ill. (UI Release) -- Illinois head coach Matt Bollant has announced the signing of 5-10 small forward Leah Bolton (Chicago, Ill./Marist H.S.), 5-9 combo guard Kennedy
Cattenhead (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook H.S.), 5-8 point guard Taylor Gleason (Grand Blanc, Mich./Goodrich H.S.), 6-3 power forward Jacqui Grant (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.), 6-2 power forward Sarah Livingston (Morton,
Ill./Morton H.S.), and 5-10 guard Mikaala Shackleford (Plymouth, Minn./Hopkins H.S.).
The
class is ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 25th nationally by Collegiate
Girls Basketball Report and fourth in the Big Ten and 32nd nationally
by Blue Star. According to CGBR, the
Illini rank behind only Penn State (6), Northwestern (21) and Purdue
(24) among Big Ten teams. In Blue Star, only Penn State (7),
Northwestern (22) and Indiana (28) are in front of Illinois.
"We're
really pleased with this class," Bollant said. "We have a diverse group
with kids that can do different things. What he have in all of them is
high character and high integrity
and kids that are going to come here and get better. We wanted to
recruit the state and feel we have four of the top six or seven kids in
Illinois. I want to thank my staff. We got in here in late March and
early April and by August had six verbals already.
Obviously we have players that jumped on board before they saw us on the
court. That's really neat about this group."
"Since
coming to campus, coach Bollant has surrounded himself with quality and
character, first with his staff and now with his first recruiting
class" said Chris Mennig, national evaluator
for Blue Star. "They have put together the foundation for the future of
his program - he has a group of unselfish players that have the length
and perimeter skills to help him implement his offensive/defensive
system."
Leah Bolton, 5-10, Forward, Chicago, Ill. (Marist H.S.)
Bolton
averaged 14.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and added 70 steals in
helping Marist to the IHSA Class 4A sectional title. She was named
second-team all-state by the Illinois Basketball
Coaches Association and all-tournament at the Hillcrest Holiday
Classic.
"Leah
is a great athlete that has some toughness to her," Bollant said.
"She's aggressive and strong and will play the 3 or the 4 for us."
Kennedy Cattenhead, 5-9, Combo Guard, Bolingbrook, Ill. (Bolingbrook H.S.)
Cattenhead
is ranked as the 14th best point guard and No. 84 player nationally
overall by CGBR. She joins Taylor Tuck as former Bolingbrook Raiders on
the Illinois roster. The Raiders
graduated eight Division prospects last season from a team that won
state titles in 2009, 2010 and 2011 before falling to Whitney Young in
an epic supersectional game last season. Cattenhead was the only junior
in the starting line-up for Bolingbrook who was
ranked in the top five nationally. She had 11 points, five rebounds and
three assists in the 4OT loss to Young.
"Kennedy
Cattenhead is just a physical athlete," Bollant said. "You look at her
ability to move, her aggressiveness and her beautiful left-hand stroke, I
think her best basketball is
definitely ahead of her. We're really fortunate that Kennedy is coming.
She'll fit right in with how we want to play."
Taylor Gleason, 5-8, Point Guard, Grand Blanc, Mich. (Goodrich H.S.)
Gleason
is ranked as the sixth-best player coming out of the state of Michigan.
The two-time all-state player helped Goodrich to the state title in
2012 after guiding the Martians to
the 2011 state semifinals. The three-time time all-conference performer
played for the Michigan Mystics, who won five state AAU championships
with Gleason on the team. She was a three-sport athlete, earning
all-conference twice and first-team all-state once
in soccer and helping both the volleyball and soccer teams to conference
titles. The no. 1 ranked student in her class, she plans to major in
engineering at Illinois.
"Taylor
is a point guard that plays really fast and unselfish," Bollant said.
"She's a kid that's really motivated and will come here, I believe, and
excel."
Jacqui Grant, 6-3, Forward, Park Ridge, Ill. (Maine South H.S.)
Grant
helped Maine South to third place in the 2011 Class 4A Tournament. A
first-team all-area selection, she is a three-time Central Suburban
League all-conference performer. The team
MVP led the Hawks in scoring (13.1 ppg), rebounding (6.4 rpg) and
blocked shots (2.2) last season. She ranks third in school history in
career rebounding and is seventh all-time on the Maine South career
scoring list, on pace to at least crack the top two in
each category. Grant was invited to the USA Basketball U-16 team tryouts
in 2010 and was named the CSL Freshman of the Year following that
season. She is ranked as the No. 28 power forward and 156th overall in
the class. Also standout softball pitcher, Grant
plans to major in education at Illinois.
"Jacqui
Grant is a really skilled 3-4 player," Bollant said. "She can shoot the
ball, is a really good passer, extremely long and unselfish. When
Jacqui realizes how good she can be,
she's going to take off. She has all the tools to be a special player
here at Illinois."
Sarah Livingston, 6-2 Forward, Morton, Ill. (Morton H.S.)
Livingston
is ranked 93rd in the class overall and the 17th-best power forward by
the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. She was named to the Associated
Press Class 3A all-state team
as well as first-team all-state by the Chicago Sun-Times, the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and the Champaign News-Gazette. She was the Pekin Daily Times Player
of the Year for the Potters, who finished 31-3 and won the Mid-Illini,
regional and sectional titles in 2011-12. Livingston averaged 11.5
points and 7.8 rebounds per game and tallied 61 assists, 83 blocks and
87 steals on the year. The sister of Shaun Livingston, a nine-year NBA
player, she was also a standout volleyball player,
setting the school record for career aces and ranking second on the
Morton all-time kills list.
"Sarah
is a long kid that can play the 5 for us," Bollant said. "She can play
with her back to the basket and also come out and shoot it. She has a
great upside. I'm really impressed
with who she is, as I am with the whole group."
Mikaala Shackleford, 5-10, Guard, Plymouth, Minn. (Hopkins H.S.)
Shackleford
averaged 9.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game during her
junior season before tearing her ACL in January. She is ranked as the
No. 38 ranked player nationally
in her position by ESPN HoopGurlz. She also played for the Metro Stars
Amos.
"Mikaala
is just a tough kid," Bollant said. "Her high school coach, Brian
Cosgriff, has produced a number of Division I players, and he said this
is one of the toughest kids and hardest
workers he has ever coached. Those are the kind of players we're looking
for."
"Mikaala
is a tireless worker, athletic and has an extremely high basketball
IQ," Cosgriff said. "She will make a fine addition to the Illinois
basketball family."
