National Signing Day Blog
Welcome to National Signing Day! Wednesday is the first day that 2018 prospects can sign their national letters of intent to the schools they have committed too. Follow our NSD Blog of all the signings and news!
4:30 PM
We have all of the confirmed signees for today in! No signing day drama (we do have until next Wednesday for that when the early signing period ends). There will be about four or five more signees in the next day or so. This will conclude our National Signing Day Blog. Thank you to everyone for spending the day with us. Congratulations to prospects across the state on their big day! It has been a privilege to cover you guys for the last three years. Look forward to big senior seasons!
4:15 PM
Ball State got a good one with the commitment of Carbondale small forward Kani Acree and today he signed. Acree brings scoring ability on the perimeter and an improved feel for the game. Toughness and athleticism.
3:10 PM
Tennessee State grabs Morgan Park wing Kenyon Duling officially. He is a tough and physical wing that constantly plays hard and bring energy to the table. Good defender, rebounder, and improving as a scorer. Important part for Morgan Park’s run back to state.
2:50 PM
UAB gets their signature recruit from Illinois with Tamell Pearson. The Morgan Park post tells us he has signed his NLI. Athletic four man that runs the floor, rebounds, and has offensive potential. UAB made him a priority and it paid off!
2:20 PM
SIU lands their local pledge officially! Darius Beane from Carbondale was probably always destined to go to SIU with his dad coaching there, but it is still a big time get for the MVC program. Athletic and rangy combo guard that can defend, pass, and shoot it pulling up. One of best players in southern Illinois and the Salukis keep him home.
https://prephoops.com/2017/08/darius-beane-siu/
1:20 PM
SIU got their first of two important NLI’s today. Lincoln Way East small forward Sam Shafer has sent in his letter to the Missouri Valley program. Shafer has been committed for a while and brings great size and shooting ability on the wing. Underrated athlete.
https://prephoops.com/2017/08/sam-shafer-siu/
1:15 PM
Update on guys that will not be signing today, but to watch over the course of the season. Some of the top prospects that most likely will not sign this week include Tim Finke (Champaign Central), Drew Peterson (Libertyville), DeAndre Heckard (Romeoville), Jalen Shaw (Larkin), Zion Young (Simeon), Xavier Pinson (Simeon), Cardell McGee (Lanphier), Kaleb Thornton (Bolingbrook), Tyree and Treavon Martin (Curie), Quinlan Bennett (Proviso East), Branden Ellis (Warren), Eddie Creal (Romeoville), Jalen Hodge (O’Fallon), and Justin Hardy (St. Charles East). They will play their senior seasons out. Several will sign with D1 and D2 programs in the spring.
12:20 PM
Rest easy Illini fans! No drama this year as Morgan Park point guard Ayo Dosunmu has sent in his NLI and Illinois has announced the signing of the top prospect in the state of Illinois. Dynamic 6’4″ point guard that is the biggest commit for Illinois in a long time out of Chicago.
https://prephoops.com/2017/10/ayo-dosunmu-illini/
12:00 PM
Whitney Young shooting guard Javon Freeman might be the biggest steal in the 2018 class. The slippery smooth wing is headed to Valpo and we have confirmed he has signed his national letter of intent. The top10 prospect will be an impact player for the new MVC school.
12:00 PM
Whitney Young point guard Xavier Castaneda is officially headed to South Florida. The Dolphins floor general is one of the best point guards in the senior class and will be a great fit at USF.
https://prephoops.com/2017/09/xavier-castaneda-usf/
11:50 AM
Drake completes it’s Illinois dynamic duo with the signing of Simeon power forward Messiah Jones. The bouncy forward is an elite offensive rebounder for the MVC and finishes with big dunks. Bulldogs fans should be happy with their commits from Illinois.
https://prephoops.com/2017/10/messiah-jones-drake/
11:45 AM
Big Three are in for Iowa State! Top 5 prospects Talen-Horton Tucker (Simeon), Zion Griffin (Hinsdale South), and George Conditt (Corliss) have all faxed in their NLI’s to Iowa State. Quite a haul for the Big 12 program landing three of the five high-major prospects in the state of Illinois in the 2018 class.
https://prephoops.com/2017/10/talen-horton-tucker-commits-iowa-state/
https://prephoops.com/2017/10/george-conditt-iowa-state/
https://prephoops.com/2017/09/zion-griffin-iowa-state/
11:00 AM
A couple of uncommitted prospects to pay close attention to this week that could sign are Conant post Ryan Davis and Orr forward Raekwon Drake. Both are ranked in the top 20 overall. Davis’ camp is debating whether he will sign early or play things out and see if any high-majors come along during the season. With Drake he told us on Tuesday night that he plans to sign during the early signing period, but did not give a date. There could be one other surprise signee from the state, but it is far from a sure thing at this point.
10:05 AM
Naperville Central 2018 center Ben Wolf texted PHI that his NLI is in for Northern Michigan. Big and physical center that can anchor down low and showed improved athleticism this summer with Mercury Elite.
https://prephoops.com/2017/10/ben-wolf-northern-michigan/
10:00 AM
ICYMI: Last night another top 20 prospect came off the board as Belleville West shooting guard Malachi Smith committed to Wright State. Smith brings scoring punch to their backcourt as he is one of the best scoring guards in southern Illinois. He plans on having his signing ceremony on Thursday.
https://prephoops.com/2017/11/malachi-smith-wright-state/
9:30 AM
Drake confirms that they have recieved the signature of top 10 prospect Kendle Moore from Danville. Smooth point guard that can score with his quick first step and speed in the open floor. Improving jump shot. They will also land the signature of Messiah Jones later today.
https://prephoops.com/2017/09/kendle-moore-drake/
9:00 AM
The NLI for Willowbrook 2018 four man Ethan Schuemer has been signed for St. Cloud State. The skilled power forward is a great pick up for the D2 program that recruits Illinois aggressively. Here is his original commitment story!
https://prephoops.com/2017/09/ethan-schuemer-st-cloud-state/
8:00 AM
We start things off with a list of the prospects in the state that are expected to sign along with when they have told us they will be having their ceremonies!
https://prephoops.com/2017/11/national-signing-day-times-3/