Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's Basketball signs Bobo Drummond and Travis Wilkins
11/09/2011 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2011
By Tom Weber
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University men's basketball coach Chris Lowery unveiled the program's 2012 signing class on Wednesday after receiving letters of intent from a pair of highly regarded guards -- Bobo Drummond and Travis Wilkins.
Drummond is a senior at La Lumiere Academy, a Catholic prep school in LaPorte, Ind. The 5-foot-10 point guard was a team captain who started every game last season and averaged 13.3 points and 4.9 assists.
 Bobo Drummond  | |
He played alongside three other Division I signees, although head coach Alan Huss called Drummond the team's "undeniable leader."
Prior to La Lumiere, Drummond played two seasons on the varsity team at Peoria Central (Ill.) and averaged 8.0 points and 4.7 assists per game as a sophomore.
"He's never played against kids his own age -- he's always played up a level -- and that makes him very advanced," Lowery said. "He's an excellent ball handler and leader, he can defend, and at his prep school, he's improved as a shooter."
Lowery said Drummond will be the team's first pure point guard since all-time assists leader Bryan Mullins graduated in 2009. Ironically, Drummond played for Mullins' father, Mike, for the Illinois Wolves AAU team.
"Bobo is the toughest kid we have by far," Hess said. "He's a knock-down jump shooter and an excellent on-the-ball defender. He's gone toe-to-toe with some of the best players in country."
 Travis Wilkins | |
Wilkins is a 6-foot-3, 22-year-old sophomore at Snow Junior College (Ephraim, Utah), who served a Mormon mission for two years after graduating from Willard High School (Springfield, Mo.) in 2007. Last season at Snow, Wilkins averaged 18 points and shot 41 percent from 3-point range.
"Travis is one of the best shooters in the country," Lowery said. "Every time he shoots it, you think it's going in."
In his senior year at Willard (2006-07), the lefty averaged 19.5 points and 6.3 rebounds and helped lead his team to the state tournament's Final Four.
"He's an older kid and extremely mature," Lowery said. "He's also a great student-athlete with a 4.0 GPA, who really knows how to play the game. He has a high basketball IQ."
Wilkins has already played two games this season at Snow and is averaging 28.0 points. Against Impact Academy, he scored 32 points and was 7-for-10 from behind the 3-point line.
Lowery said signing a 3-point marksman was an important priority for this class.
"We haven't had a guy like Travis with such great range," he said. "It was a no brainer to add him as a piece to the puzzle."
