Rutgers Men's Basketball Announces Four National Letters of Intent
Nov 08 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Four standout high school players have signed national letters of intent to enroll in Rutgers University in the fall of 2007 and play basketball for the Scarlet Knights under head coach Fred Hill, it was announced today.
The four-member recruiting class includes Corey Chandler of Newark (N.J.), Earl Pettis of Pennsylvania, New York native Mike Coburn and Justin Sofman from West Milford (N.J.).
Chandler, a 6-1, 180-pound guard, is a consensus all-state selection. He provided the Scarlet Knights with their earliest verbal commitment after announcing his intent to attend Rutgers prior to his junior season at Newark's Eastside High School. Rated the second best senior in the state by NJHoops.com, Chandler is nationally ranked 55th by HoopScoop, 77th by Sporting News/Rise Magazine and 86th by rivals.com. He was a two-time All-Star at the prestigious Reebok ABCD Camp and was recently tabbed as the Most Valuable Player at the Eddie Griffin Challenge. A prolific scorer, Chandler averaged 21 points as a junior at Eastside, and earned second team All-State honors from the Star Ledger.
"Corey is the complete package," said Hill. "He possesses great speed and quickness and has excellent play-making ability. He can beat you a number of ways offensively, either from the outside or getting to the basket."
Pettis is a versatile 6-5, 195-pound guard from Philadelphia, who is attending the Patterson School in North Carolina in 2006-07 before joining Rutgers in the fall of 2007. A four-year starter and 1,000-point scorer, Pettis averaged 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as a senior at Neumann Goretti High School (Pa.). While there he helped lead his team to back-to-back Philadelphia Catholic League Championships. A two-time All-City selection, he shot 49 percent from the field during his senior year and received first team All-Catholic League honors, as voted by the league's coaches. A consensus top 100 recruit while in high school, Pettis is now regarded as the nation's 21st-best fifth-year player by HoopScoop.
"Earl is an extremely versatile player," said Hill. "Not only can he play three positions on the floor, he can also defend those positions really well. Earl is just a winner who brings a lot to the table"
Coburn is a 6-0, 185-pound guard from Mt. Vernon High School in New York. A five-year member of the varsity team, who began his high school career as an eighth-grader, he is a four-year starter for Mt. Vernon, which is ranked 18th in the nation. Coburn averaged 16.7 points, 6.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals as junior, while leading his team to the NY State Federation Championship. It was the second consecutive title for Mt. Vernon. He is preseason Street & Smith's first team All-Metro selection and a repeat all-county and all-state pick.
"Mike is a true leader and has a great mind for the game," said Hill. "He makes everyone around him better. He is a winner on and off the court."
Sofman is a 6-4, 210-pound guard who is attending St. Thomas Moor Prep in Connecticut. A former star at West Milford High School, he averaged 22.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as a senior. Sofman was a first team All-State Group III selection and first team All-Passaic County by the Star Ledger and NJHoops.com following his senior campaign. In addition, he was named one of the top five shooters in the state by NJHoops.com. Sofman committed to Rutgers prior to his senior year at West Milford.
"Justin is an excellent outside shooter," said Hill. "He has great range and is able to stretch the defense. The year of prep school should help him mature, physically and make him better prepared to play at this level."
"I'm very excited about this group of future Scarlet Knights," Hill concluded. "Besides being great players, they are all winners. I am flattered by the trust they and their coaches have in the Rutgers basketball program. They will be great ambassadors on and off the court."
