Men's Basketball signs Darius Beane and Sam Shafer
11/08/2017 | 2:12:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois received signed letters of intent from a pair of talented high school seniors on the first day of the fall signing period, men's basketball head coach Barry Hinson announced Wednesday.
Headlining the class is point guard Darius Beane, the son of Saluki assistant coach Anthony Beane and brother of the school's No. 3 all-time leading scorer, Anthony Beane Jr. In the 2018 recruiting class, Darius Beane is ranked the No. 11 prospect in the state of Illinois by Scout.com and the No. 13 prospect in the state by 247sports.com. Last season, he averaged 16 points, five rebounds and three assists for Carbondale High School.
"I think everyone is familiar with the Beane name and the Beane family — and now you have another young man who is rated as one of the top guards in the state of Illinois and is playing for a high school program that is very well respected under Jim Miller," Hinson said.
A 6-foot-3, 165-pound high school senior, Beane was a first team All-Conference selection and a fourth team All-State pick by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association a year ago.
"Darius is a different player than Anthony," Hinson added. "He's really more of a point guard than Anthony was. He's yet to develop his body. What we've seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg. He has great potential and as the maturation process takes hold, he has the chance to be a special player."
Also signing with the Salukis on Wednesday was hybrid forward Sam Shafer. He averaged 15.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game last season for Lincoln Way-East, which finished 20-11 overall — the most wins in school history. He had a season-high 30 points in a win over Bolingbrook.
"We've had a lot of success in the past with hybrid-type players — guys like Carlton Fay, Matt Shaw, Sean O'Brien — and we felt like Sam fit this mold to a T," Hinson said.
The 6-foot-6, 190-pound Shafer was an Illinois Basketball Coaches Association 3A/4A honorable mention all-stater, All-SouthWest Suburban Blue and a second-team choice on the Herald-News All-Area Team. He is ranked as the No. 33 prospect in the state among the class of 2018.
"This is a young man who is highly skilled," Hinson continued. "He doesn't get caught up in what position he has to play. He can play on the perimeter, he can play on the interior. He has a high basketball IQ and wants to be a special player. Much like Darius, his body and athleticism will change dramatically as he goes through our strength and conditioning program."
Hinson credited his coaching staff for their efforts in identifying and signing two players he described as "diamonds in the rough."
The Salukis have three seniors on this year's roster and two scholarships still available for the 2018 class.
"We knew we were going to be senior-heavy going into next season with seven seniors, and felt it was really important to bring in freshmen who can be mentored," Hinson said. "As the foundation for our program, we need to have a mixture of freshmen and junior college players."
Headlining the class is point guard Darius Beane, the son of Saluki assistant coach Anthony Beane and brother of the school's No. 3 all-time leading scorer, Anthony Beane Jr. In the 2018 recruiting class, Darius Beane is ranked the No. 11 prospect in the state of Illinois by Scout.com and the No. 13 prospect in the state by 247sports.com. Last season, he averaged 16 points, five rebounds and three assists for Carbondale High School.
"I think everyone is familiar with the Beane name and the Beane family — and now you have another young man who is rated as one of the top guards in the state of Illinois and is playing for a high school program that is very well respected under Jim Miller," Hinson said.
A 6-foot-3, 165-pound high school senior, Beane was a first team All-Conference selection and a fourth team All-State pick by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association a year ago.
"Darius is a different player than Anthony," Hinson added. "He's really more of a point guard than Anthony was. He's yet to develop his body. What we've seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg. He has great potential and as the maturation process takes hold, he has the chance to be a special player."
Also signing with the Salukis on Wednesday was hybrid forward Sam Shafer. He averaged 15.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game last season for Lincoln Way-East, which finished 20-11 overall — the most wins in school history. He had a season-high 30 points in a win over Bolingbrook.
"We've had a lot of success in the past with hybrid-type players — guys like Carlton Fay, Matt Shaw, Sean O'Brien — and we felt like Sam fit this mold to a T," Hinson said.
The 6-foot-6, 190-pound Shafer was an Illinois Basketball Coaches Association 3A/4A honorable mention all-stater, All-SouthWest Suburban Blue and a second-team choice on the Herald-News All-Area Team. He is ranked as the No. 33 prospect in the state among the class of 2018.
"This is a young man who is highly skilled," Hinson continued. "He doesn't get caught up in what position he has to play. He can play on the perimeter, he can play on the interior. He has a high basketball IQ and wants to be a special player. Much like Darius, his body and athleticism will change dramatically as he goes through our strength and conditioning program."
Hinson credited his coaching staff for their efforts in identifying and signing two players he described as "diamonds in the rough."
The Salukis have three seniors on this year's roster and two scholarships still available for the 2018 class.
"We knew we were going to be senior-heavy going into next season with seven seniors, and felt it was really important to bring in freshmen who can be mentored," Hinson said. "As the foundation for our program, we need to have a mixture of freshmen and junior college players."
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball12.5.25 | Saluki Radio Football Podcast - 2025 Season Recap
Saturday, December 06
Saluki Radio Broadcast at High Point
Thursday, December 04
11.3.25 | Saluki Radio Postgame at High Point - Scott Nagy
Thursday, December 04
11.3.25 | Saluki Radio Postgame at High Point -Damien Mayo Jr.
Thursday, December 04