Tuesday, April 19, 2011

UIS adds its first recruit for next year

University of Illinois Springfield men’s basketball coach Ben Wierzba signed his first recruit Monday, East Peoria High School senior center Dylan Sparkman.

The 6-foot-10, 260-pound Sparkman averaged 14 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per game as a senior. He shot 67 percent from the field and 70 percent at the free-throw line and earned a spot on the Mid-Illini Conference second team. He was a first-team choice the previous season.

“He continued getting better and better as the year went along,” Wierzba said. “He’s got good hands. He’s got good feet. With his skills on the basketball floor, we look for him to be a contributor as a freshman as he grows and matures into a collegiate student-athlete.”

Sparkman was featured in an April 19, 2011, article in The State Journal-Register.

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