Tony Nixon Commits During Official Visit

September 20 2008

7:15 P.M. CST 

Over the course of the past month, we have consistently said that Northern Illinois University was the school to beat for Tony Nixon.  Sure enough, that prediction held true until the end, as the 6'5 guard from Seton Academy in South Holland, IL rendered a verbal commitment to the Huskies today while on his official visit.  Nixon chose NIU over scholarship offers from a plethora of other schools, most notably Fresno State, Drake, UTEP and Gonzaga.

As we had indicated previously, Nixon's decision came down primarily to whether he wanted to stay close to home or go somewhere outside the state of Illinois.  The former ended up winning out, and when other in-state universities filled their available scholarships in the class of 2009 with commitments from other recruits, Nixon's decision became a relatively simple one.

There is no question that Nixon is an absolute recruiting steal for head coach Ricardo Patton and the Huskies.  Simply put, he is one of the best perimeter shooters in the state, with range that extends well beyond the 3-point line and a quick release.  Nixon was absolutely outstanding throughout the July evaluation period while competing on the AAU circuit with the Mac Irvin Fire (the co-winners of our Illinois AAU Team Of The Summer in our End Of Summer Awards).  His signature performance came in Phoenix at the Duel In The Desert, in which he drilled 10 three-pointers in one contest.

Nixon was Northern Illinois' top recruiting priority among guard prospects in the 2009 class and with that being said a huge amount of credit must go to both Associate Head Coach Dennis Gates and assistant coach Sundance Wicks, who both stayed on Nixon from the beginning and were present at all of Nixon's July events, including the Next Level Invitational in Milwaukee, the Nike Main Event in Las Vegas and the Duel In The Desert.  

Nixon plays on a loaded high school team that will undoubtedly be among the favorites to win a state title this season in Class 2A.  One of Nixon's teammates, 5'9 point guard D.J. Cooper, could possibly be on the verge of a commitment, as he is visiting Ohio University this weekend, while another 2009 prospect at Seton Academy, 6'6 Corbin Thomas has been offered a scholarship by Lewis University.  

Continue to check in with Illinois Prep Bulls-eye for all of the latest as it pertains to recruiting and high school basketball in Illinois.