Andrew Nicholas to Monmouth

Earlier this afternoon, 6'6 Eastern York High School senior Andrew Nicholas verbally committed to the Monmouth Hawks. Nicholas, who originally committed to Rutgers last summer when Fred Hill was at the helm, was apparently close to pulling the trigger to Saint Joseph's earlier this summer. At one point, Nicholas claimed to narrow his list of schools down to Saint Joseph's and Penn State. Shortly thereafter, both schools seemed to back off the talented lefty.

Nicholas is not the only player from his high school to commit to Monmouth today. According to Adam Zagoria, in the article linked below, Austin Tollitson, a 6'1 point guard from Easter York, also committed to Monmouth.

Andrew Nicholas seemed destined to be a Hawk earlier this summer. Well, today he signed with the Hawks. To the surprise of many, it was Monmouth, not Saint Joseph's. SJU does appear to be in the market for a sniper in the 2011 class, and I will provide you with names as I hear them.

Zagsblog- Nicholas to Monmouth

Index of Articles on Chris Wilson Signing

As numerous sites began indicating yesterday morning, Saint Joseph's did in fact get their first verbal commitment in the 2011 recruiting class. The commitment came from Terry Sanford High (NC) point guard Chris Wilson, who plays his AAU basketball with the powerful CP3 squad. Yesterday came the reports that Wilson signed, and today came the newspaper articles. Below I have linked a number of articles on the signing.

Fay Observer Article on Chris Wilson

Ray Parillo Article- Philadelphia Inquirer

Dick Jerardi Article

ESPN Blurb on Wilson's Signing

In the ESPN article above, they have Chris evaluated as a 90 using their grading system, and ranked as the 39th best point guard in the nation in his class.

In the Dick Jerardi article linked above, he mentions that the Hawks have two remaining scholarships for the 2011 class, and one of the top priorities is a lockdown shooter. Who that shooter is remains to be seen, as the Hawks are no longer actively recruiting former Rutgers commit Andrew Nicholas.

Stay tuned for further updates on the Chris Wilson signing as well as any information on new recruiting targets.

2011 Recruiting Target- Andrew Nicholas

Last July, rising junior Andrew Nicholas of Eastern York High School made an early pledge to Rutgers coach Fred Hill. When he signed with Rutgers, he claimed offers from Virginia Tech, Saint Joseph's, Georgia Tech, Penn State,and Temple.

Andrew's commitment to Rutgers appears to be in question since the firing of coach Fred Hill.

Prior to Hill's departure from Rutgers, Nicholas told The Varsity Beat that he would consider Villanova, Saint Joseph's, and Penn State if the coach left.

It has now been over a month since Hill left Rutgers, and Nicholas appears to be on the market. If that is the case, Hawk Hill sounds like a legitimate contender to land his services considering his list. Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis is certainly on the hot seat at Penn State, which could be a factor if Nicholas is to officially reopen his recruitment. As for Villanova, they already have a 2011 commitment from shooting guard Ashcraf Yacoubou and have some depth on the wing. I am not implying that Nicholas is a lock to land on Hawk Hill. While Nicholas stated that he would reopen his recruitment if Hill was fired, I have not found anything since that firing saying that the recruitment was reopened.

The Hawks got lucky when Saint John's head coach Norm Roberts was fired, leading Ronald Roberts to open things back up, and ultimately join Saint Joseph's 2010 recruiting class. Could the firing of another Big East coach lead to another break for the Hawks? Time will tell.

Nicholas is a high-level shooter from the perimeter, with significant size, in the 6'6 range. The lefty played at a high level this past season for Eastern York High School. Last week, he scored 23 points at the Donfrio Classic for the Bucks County All Stars.

I am hoping to hear more on Nicholas' situation on the coming days.

The Varsity Beat

Andrew Nicholas Could Open Recruitment Back Up

I have spent quite a bit of time on here talking about players in the 2011 recruiting class of interest to Saint Joseph's, and also just generally about talented Philadelphia area players. One name that I have not mentioned at all is 6'6 Eastern York junior Andrew Nicholas. The reason for the lack of discussion? Nicholas gave a verbal commitment to Fred Hill and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights last summer. That commitment could be a thing of the past due to the current status of Fred Hill at Rutgers. In the article below, Nicholas discusses his commitment to Rutgers. He also mentions that, should he reopen, the schools from which he would choose are Saint Joseph's, Penn State, and Villanova.

Eastern York Junior Could Reopen Recruitment- Yorkblog.com