Northern Illinois University Lands First Commitment From Class Of 2011

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

June 17, 2010

5:00 P.M. CST

Reliable sources have informed us that Zach Miller, the 5'9 class of 2011 point guard from Glenbard East High School in Lombard, IL has verbally committed to Northern Illinois University.  Miller becomes Huskie head coach Ricardo Patton's first recruit from the 2011 class.

The fact that NIU was the first D1 school to offer Miller a scholarship ended up being a huge factor in his decision.  Miller had visited the DeKalb, IL campus on multiple occasions and felt most comfortable with the coaching staff and the surroundings.  Therefore, he concluded that there was no need to wait any longer, thus offering up the commitment.

Miller is a prototypical point guard who is not overly flashy but consistently gets the job done.  He plays under control, is a solid penetrator and playmaker, does a great job of pushing the ball up the floor, and if left unattended is more than capable of burying shots from beyond the 3-point arc.  While he may be a bit undersized, Miller more than compensates for that with his toughness and superb understanding of the game.

Above everything else, Miller's commitment to NIU is especially significant because it could end up serving as a springboard with respect to the Huskies landing other potential Chicago area recruits from the class of 2011.  Patton and his staff have also extended a scholarship offer to Miller's high school teammate--6'3 wing Jonny Hill as well as a pair of highly touted guards who play for the Illinois Wolves traveling team--6'3 Will Sullivan from York Township High School in Elmhurst, IL and 6'5 Jacob Williams from St. Patrick High School in Chicago.  They are also heavily involved with 6'7 forward James Farr from Evanston Township High School in Evanston, IL; 6'2 guard Adonis Filer, who recently transferred from Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago to Bishop Noll High School in Hammond, IN as well as countless other in-state prospects.

There is no question that Patton and assistant coaches Sundance Wicks and Todd Townsend are doing an outstanding job when it comes to aggressively pursuing top recruits in all classes from the Windy City region.  It is no small coincidence that a number of their prospective recruiting targets will be in action tomorrow and Saturday at the Northern Illinois University Satellite Team Camp at Proviso West High School in Hillside, IL.  Could another commitment possibily be around the corner?  Stay tuned! 

Editor's Note: We found out after writing this story that Miller's commitment ended up being somewhat of a gift to himself, as  it came about on his 18th birthday.  It is also a nice present for the men's basketball staff at NIU for that matter.

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