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Illinois lands commitment from top-25 recruit Leron Black

Ohio Bobcats head coach John Groce (C) celebrates with assistants as his team plays the North Carolina Tar Heels in the men's NCAA Midwest Regional basketball game in St. Louis

Ohio Bobcats head coach John Groce (C) celebrates with assistants as his team plays the North Carolina Tar Heels in the men’s NCAA Midwest Regional basketball game in St. Louis, Missouri, March 23, 2012. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

REUTERS

Following an official visit to Champaign, Ill. this weekend, White Station High (Tenn.) forward Leron Black, a top-25 recruit in the Class of 2014, committed to John Groce and the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Marcus Jackson of the News-Gazette, reported the news first.

“Before I came here this weekend, I knew Illinois is where I wanted to be,” Black told Jackson on Sunday. “The Illinois coaching staff is amazing, the campus was amazing and I feel like I’m going to grow here as a player and a person and spiritually. I feel like I can trust the coaches. I believe in them and this is the right spot.”

In September, the Memphis native committed to Baylor, though, decommitted in January after feeling that he had rushed his decision. The 6-foot-7 Black became one of the top players being sought after this summer, gaining interest from powerhouses such as Indiana, Louisville and Ohio State. In mid-August, cut his list of possible suitors to four -- Baylor, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee.

His visit to Illinois was one of the three official visits he had previously scheduled. He was going to had to Baylor this upcoming a weekend -- one week after Apple Valley High (Minn.) point guard Tyus Jones and Whitney Young (Ill.) center Jahlil Okafor were in Waco -- followed by a trip to Bloomington on Sept. 20.

The five-star forward, ranked No. 22 in the Class of 2014 by Rivals, joins Centennial High (Ill.) forward Michael Finke in Illinois’ Class of 2014.

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