Post by JimmyLemke on May 23, 2006 12:00:16 GMT -6
No news to anyone, unless you're in Green Bay and don't get news until months later. Gentry, Skinner, and Thornton's LOI's have been signed.
UWM Adds Three During Spring Signing Period
All-staters from Iowa and Illinois, JC forward will join Panthers
May 23, 2006
MILWAUKEE - Roman Gentry of Sioux City, Iowa, Marcus Skinner of Flint, Mich., and Ryan Thornton of Chillicothe, Ill., have signed National Letters of Intent during the spring signing period to play basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, head coach Rob Jeter announced today. The three players will join the Panthers for the 2006-2007 season.
Gentry is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound standout who is considered by many to be the top player in Iowa. In fact, Gentry was named the 2006 Iowa 4A Player of the Year, beating out Wisconsin recruit Jason Bohannon. He earned First-Team All-State honors from both the Des Moines Register and the Iowa Newspaper Association following both his junior and senior seasons, and is the third all-time leading scorer in the history of all Sioux City High Schools. Gentry led Sioux City East to the state semifinals this season, averaging 20.6 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. He was also the leading scorer and rebounder in the Iowa Class 4A state tournament. During his junior season, Gentry tallied 19 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game. Gentry is considered a stellar inside-outside player, making 52 three-point shots his senior year while also getting to the free throw line 138 times. During the summer before his senior season, Gentry played on the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association Senior Select squad and led the team in scoring at almost 19 points per game. Gentry has also earned all-city, All-Missouri River Conference, All-Northwest Iowa and All-District honors in each of the last two years.
"There is no question Roman is a very talented player who can have a tremendous career in Milwaukee," Jeter said. "He performed at a high level throughout high school and developed into one of the best players in the state of Iowa. He has a great shooting touch, yet can drive to the basket and play well on the interior. He is also strong and has shown a great ability to rebound the basketball. We are thrilled that Roman has chosen to continue his basketball career in Milwaukee."
Skinner is a 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward who earned All-Michigan Community College Athletic Association Eastern Conference honors this season at Mott Community College. Skinner averaged 13.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while helping Mott to a 25-6 record. He also shot 56.8 percent from the field. As a freshman at Mott, Skinner earned District 8 All-Tournament honors while leading Mott to the title game. In his two seasons at Mott, the team compiled at 55-9 record and won the MCCAA titles both years. This season, Skinner scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Mott's title-game win over Lansing, one of six double-figure rebounding efforts on the year. Skinner was also a standout prep star at Flint Southwestern Academy before staying in Flint to attend Mott.
"Marcus is a very athletic player who should help our front line a great deal," Jeter said. "He has developed tremendously in his two years at Mott and his strong work ethic gives us great confidence he will continue to get even better during his time in Milwaukee. He can score, rebound and defend, and should give us a very nice presence inside. He has gained great experience playing at a high level of basketball the past two seasons, and those experiences should serve him very well in our program. Marcus has worked very hard to earn this opportunity, and we're very happy to have him join us in Milwaukee."
Thornton is a 6-foot-7, 185-pound wing player thought to be one of the best shooters in the state of Illinois. He led Illinois Valley Central High School to a runner-up finish in the Class A Illinois State Tournament while averaging 17.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He made 117 three-point field goals as a senior, shooting 43.8 percent from three-point range. Thornton put together a stellar series of efforts in the state finals, averaging over 20 points per game while making 14 three-point shots in the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals combined. Thornton's play earned Third-Team All-State honors from both IllinoisPrepHoops and the Associated Press.
"Ryan is a tremendous shooter who has unlimited range. He has a very quick release and doesn't need much room to get his shot off," Jeter said. "His dad (Jim) was his high school coach and it is obvious he has had a great understanding and respect for the game instilled in him. He is a good passer and really excelled on the perimeter in high school. Ryan knows he has just begun to tap into his potential and that he can become an even better player by working hard in the weight room, which will help him develop his game close to the basket. But, he has a tremendous skill set and the ability to become a special player at this level. We're happy to welcome him to Milwaukee."
In all, Jeter is happy with the recruiting progress to this point. Now that the official spring signing is complete, any additional players added to the Milwaukee roster for next season would not sign letters of intent, but would instead enroll at the University and announce an intention to play basketball.
"I am very excited about this latest group of young men we have assembled," Jeter said. "Because of the recent success of the program, we continue to see an increase in the quality of young men showing an interest in Milwaukee basketball. While not every player you recruit commits to your university, we are clearly seeing players who would never have looked at Milwaukee before now taking a very serious look. And, that high level of recruit speaks to the quality of players we are adding to the program in signing Roman, Marcus and Ryan. It is certainly difficult to replace seven seniors, but we're confident this group will help us continue to maintain our high level of success."
UWM Adds Three During Spring Signing Period
All-staters from Iowa and Illinois, JC forward will join Panthers
May 23, 2006
MILWAUKEE - Roman Gentry of Sioux City, Iowa, Marcus Skinner of Flint, Mich., and Ryan Thornton of Chillicothe, Ill., have signed National Letters of Intent during the spring signing period to play basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, head coach Rob Jeter announced today. The three players will join the Panthers for the 2006-2007 season.
Gentry is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound standout who is considered by many to be the top player in Iowa. In fact, Gentry was named the 2006 Iowa 4A Player of the Year, beating out Wisconsin recruit Jason Bohannon. He earned First-Team All-State honors from both the Des Moines Register and the Iowa Newspaper Association following both his junior and senior seasons, and is the third all-time leading scorer in the history of all Sioux City High Schools. Gentry led Sioux City East to the state semifinals this season, averaging 20.6 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. He was also the leading scorer and rebounder in the Iowa Class 4A state tournament. During his junior season, Gentry tallied 19 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game. Gentry is considered a stellar inside-outside player, making 52 three-point shots his senior year while also getting to the free throw line 138 times. During the summer before his senior season, Gentry played on the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association Senior Select squad and led the team in scoring at almost 19 points per game. Gentry has also earned all-city, All-Missouri River Conference, All-Northwest Iowa and All-District honors in each of the last two years.
"There is no question Roman is a very talented player who can have a tremendous career in Milwaukee," Jeter said. "He performed at a high level throughout high school and developed into one of the best players in the state of Iowa. He has a great shooting touch, yet can drive to the basket and play well on the interior. He is also strong and has shown a great ability to rebound the basketball. We are thrilled that Roman has chosen to continue his basketball career in Milwaukee."
Skinner is a 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward who earned All-Michigan Community College Athletic Association Eastern Conference honors this season at Mott Community College. Skinner averaged 13.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while helping Mott to a 25-6 record. He also shot 56.8 percent from the field. As a freshman at Mott, Skinner earned District 8 All-Tournament honors while leading Mott to the title game. In his two seasons at Mott, the team compiled at 55-9 record and won the MCCAA titles both years. This season, Skinner scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Mott's title-game win over Lansing, one of six double-figure rebounding efforts on the year. Skinner was also a standout prep star at Flint Southwestern Academy before staying in Flint to attend Mott.
"Marcus is a very athletic player who should help our front line a great deal," Jeter said. "He has developed tremendously in his two years at Mott and his strong work ethic gives us great confidence he will continue to get even better during his time in Milwaukee. He can score, rebound and defend, and should give us a very nice presence inside. He has gained great experience playing at a high level of basketball the past two seasons, and those experiences should serve him very well in our program. Marcus has worked very hard to earn this opportunity, and we're very happy to have him join us in Milwaukee."
Thornton is a 6-foot-7, 185-pound wing player thought to be one of the best shooters in the state of Illinois. He led Illinois Valley Central High School to a runner-up finish in the Class A Illinois State Tournament while averaging 17.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He made 117 three-point field goals as a senior, shooting 43.8 percent from three-point range. Thornton put together a stellar series of efforts in the state finals, averaging over 20 points per game while making 14 three-point shots in the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals combined. Thornton's play earned Third-Team All-State honors from both IllinoisPrepHoops and the Associated Press.
"Ryan is a tremendous shooter who has unlimited range. He has a very quick release and doesn't need much room to get his shot off," Jeter said. "His dad (Jim) was his high school coach and it is obvious he has had a great understanding and respect for the game instilled in him. He is a good passer and really excelled on the perimeter in high school. Ryan knows he has just begun to tap into his potential and that he can become an even better player by working hard in the weight room, which will help him develop his game close to the basket. But, he has a tremendous skill set and the ability to become a special player at this level. We're happy to welcome him to Milwaukee."
In all, Jeter is happy with the recruiting progress to this point. Now that the official spring signing is complete, any additional players added to the Milwaukee roster for next season would not sign letters of intent, but would instead enroll at the University and announce an intention to play basketball.
"I am very excited about this latest group of young men we have assembled," Jeter said. "Because of the recent success of the program, we continue to see an increase in the quality of young men showing an interest in Milwaukee basketball. While not every player you recruit commits to your university, we are clearly seeing players who would never have looked at Milwaukee before now taking a very serious look. And, that high level of recruit speaks to the quality of players we are adding to the program in signing Roman, Marcus and Ryan. It is certainly difficult to replace seven seniors, but we're confident this group will help us continue to maintain our high level of success."
