MidStateHoops.com :: Future Division I Program Already Having Success on the Recruiting Trail

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville pulled in some steals this past season under new head Coach Lennox Forrester. They got two surefire Division I recruits, two Division I transfers, and a JUCO kid with some Division I interest.

7?0? Terrance Williams had offers from the likes of Missouri, Southern Illinois-Carbondale, New Mexico, Wyoming, Fresno State, Illinois-Chicago, and Ball State but was swayed to stay in his hometown. 6?10? 235 lbs Nikola Bundalo of Serbia had a lot of Division I interest but the opportunity to play right away was undeniable at Edwardsville. T.J. Gray of Illinois-Chicago and Saihou Jassey of Bradley both thought SIU-E would give them better opportunities than their current programs. 5?10? Leonard Parker was a Division I caliber point guard but thought he would have more success under Coach Forrester.

SIU-E will be a Division I program in the 2008-09 season and have already bee preparing through recruiting. This next class will be of great importance.

The Cougars have seven scholarships to give away in the 2008 class. There are a few prospects who are pretty much all but committed.

6?3? Bloomington Central Catholic guard Aaron Garriott was the first to get an offer under Coach Forrester. SIU-E is currently his biggest confirmed offer. North Dakota has also offered a scholarship. Bradley, Denver, and Utah State are also involved but official offers have not been placed on the table. His freshman season he will likely be an understudy under Leonard Parker but playing time is available. He is set for an official visit on August 23rd.

6?2? Madison guard Cornelius Chatt is a perfect fit for Forrester?s system. He?s a scoring guard who has the ability to contribute immediately. He shoots it well and is relentless attacking the basket. He has been tabbed as the best scorer in the St. Louis Metro area by many and will have a chance to put up shots immediately at SIU-E. Morehead State, Indiana State, and Loyola-Chicago.

6?5? Kyle Cassity of Pickneyville is the third player who has all but given up his verbal. The area kid is a great system player and would have probably been better under Marty Simmons but he?s a very solid role player and an area kid who will put fans in seats. He?s a hardworker that does what it takes to win and has the ability to contribute at the lower Division I level.

SIU-E is also in good shape with Darain Sain (East St. Louis), Stefon Carson (Decatur Eisenhower), Darieus Perry (Bloomington), Dezmond Hickman (Collinsville), and Marland Johnson (Mounds Meridian). They have a chance to pull in a very solid recruiting class and their amount of success in the near future depends on this class. A couple junior college kids or transfers will be a necessity as they will need people to come in with collegiate experiences to compete at a high level.

The future looks bright for Coach Forrester and the Cougars. Look for a possible Division II championship this season and a surprise Division I opener season, with the right recruits, in 2008.