Tyler Thompson of West Aurora, one of the top uncommitted players in the class of 08 committed to Quincy University last night, making him the 8th member of this year’s 17u Illinois Wolves to commit to a college. The 6-5 small forward committed to the division 2 powerhouse last night, and is the first commit in the 08 class for the Hawks.
Thompson had a great spring and summer playing for Mike Mullins’ Illinois Wolves, one of the top AAU programs in the nation. Tyler and his teammates competed in a number of the elite tournaments on the AAU circuit, and fared very well against the stiff competition. Tyler joins Daniel Barnes (Eastern Michigan), John Moran (Northern Iowa), John Shurna (Northwestern), Nick Fruendt (Northwestern), Rob Belcore (Penn), Kamil Janton (Eastern Michigan) and Chris Parrish (Southern Illinois) as committed Wolves players.
This year Tyler will suit up for a talented West Aurora squad that figures to be one of the better teams in the state. West Aurora is a deep, well coached team, and they have one of the top point guards in the state in junior Marcus Cocroft. West Aurora had a good summer period playing together, which included a second place finish in 64 team Hoop Mountain shootout at their school, as they fell to Evanston in the finals.
Tyler is a long and athletic wing that can also mix it up in the post. He is a very good shooter from outside and mid-range, and can also score off the dribble. Tyler is a good defender, but could definitely use a little added muscle before college. Thompson chose Quincy over a number of D1 and D2 schools, including a number of Ivy League programs.