Hilliard makes the call

After taking an official visit to St. Joseph's on September 14, Idris Hilliard, the 6-foot-7, 200-pound power forward from the Hun School in Princeton, N.J., had a pretty good feeling about his future. At the time, the No. 145 ranked player in the class of 2007, wanted to give a verbal commitment to the Hawks, but ultimately decided to wait. However, after mulling over a decision, Hilliard recently decided to put an end to his recruitment.

"I committed to St. Joseph's. I went up for an official visit on September 14 and spent a lot of quality time with the players and coaches," said Hilliard. "I actually attended some classes, watched the team workout and saw what its like to be a student-athlete. There was a certain "realness" about my visit to St. Joseph's, which is why I gave the coaching staff a commitment.

"I was probably ready to commit after my visit, but I felt that it would be best to go home and sleep on it for a week or so," he added. "I waited for about a week and still had the same feelings about St. Joseph's, so I decided to commit."

Hilliard, a three-star prospect, had originally planned to officially visit Rutgers, but that visit will no longer take place. The No. 38 ranked power forward in the class is done with the recruiting process, and couldn't be any happier with his decision.

"My mother was very supportive of my decision," said Hilliard. "Being close to home wasn't a huge factor, but it will be nice to have my family and friends around when I'm at St. Joseph's. If I need something or if anything ever comes up, my parents can jump on the highway and are close to me.

"Coach Phil Martelli is the biggest reason why I committed to St. Joseph's," he added. "He was at all of my games this summer and it was nice knowing that he wanted me so much. A lot of schools send their assistant coaches to watch players, but Coach Martelli was at every game this summer watching me. That was very important in my decision."

Idris Hilliard Audible: "My perimeter game has gotten a lot better since the summer. I'm scoring off lay-ups in our Princeton offense. I'm also getting to the line, knocking down some threes and hitting the pull up 15-footer. I've made a lot of progress, but I still want to improve my dribbling, shooting and perimeter defense." - Idris Hilliard