McCamey is the latest Big Ten commit
Just like that, the dynamic duo at St. Joseph's High School in Westchester, Ill., is off the board. A day after watching his close friend and teammate, Evan Turner, pick Ohio State, Demetri McCamey is also headed to the Big Ten.
McCamey, a powerfully built point guard, is Illinois bound. McCamey's AAU coach, Mike Mullins, of the Illinois Wolves, confirmed the news with Rivals.com's Jerry Meyer on Friday.
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"He took a visit on Tuesday and decided it was time," Mullins told Meyer. "He's always been a huge Illinois fan growing up and always hoped that they would offer. When they did, he decided it was time.
"He was happy with all of the other schools recruiting him and he was excited when Illinois offered. He and his mother talked it over last night and he called this morning and committed."
Landing McCamey, the No. 51 ranked player in the country, is huge for Illinois. For starters, he is one of the top point guards in the country, and from Illinois, and his style of play could shine the brightest under Bruce Weber's system.
"McCamey is a physical point guard that can play three different positions and that is perfect for Illinois's style of play," Meyer said. "They like having three guards out there and he's a good one for that."
Turner, McCamey's long time teammate and friend, surprisingly picked Ohio State on Thursday after speculation that he would commit to Illinois. A day later, Weber and his staff landed one of the state's top prospects.
"With the recruiting heating up in the Big Ten and getting even more competitive with Ohio State doing as well as they are and Kelvin Sampson now in the conference, it's even more important for Illinois to keep the top players home. McCamey is a good place to start," Meyer said.
McCamey, who will play at the ABCD camp next week, joins big men Bill Cole and Mike Tisdale, both in-state prospects, as well as stud two guard Eric Gordon in Illinois's 2007 recruiting class.