Nov. 14, 2001
CHAMPAIGN, ILL - University of Illinois men's basketball coach Bill Self announced today the signing of Daniel "Dee" Brown, Deron Williams, James Augustine and Kyle Wilson to national letters of intent on the first day of the fall signing period. The four-man class consists of two players from the state of Illinois and two from Texas.
"I don't think we could have expected to sign a better foursome," Self said. "All four young men are excellent students and fit the profile of the kind of players we need to be successful here at Illinois. They have all been well coached and come from very successful programs."
Dee Brown, a 6-foot guard from Proviso East High School in Maywood, Ill., earned first team all-state honors as a junior last season after averaging 19 points, eight assists, five rebounds and five steals per game. A Top 20 player nationally who can play either guard position, Brown has earned a reputation as one of the quickest players in America. His Proviso East team is currently ranked No. 1 in the state of Illinois in the Associated Press preseason poll.
Joining Brown in the backcourt is Deron Williams of The Colony, Texas. Williams, a national Top 50 recruit, has a powerful build for a guard at 6-3, 195-pounds. Known as one of the smoothest point guards in the nation, Williams averaged 16.9 points, 9.4 assists, and five rebounds in earning all-state honors last season at The Colony, which went 32-2 and advanced to the Texas Class 5A state semifinals.
To bolster the UI frontcourt, Illinois signed a pair of forwards in James Augustine and Kyle Wilson. Augustine is a 6-foot-10-inch, 225-pound athletic forward who was named to the all-star team this past summer at the Adidas ABCD Camp. As a junior, Augustine averaged 14 points, seven rebounds and five blocks for Lincoln-Way Central High School in New Lenox, Ill.
Wilson is a versatile player who at 6-8, 230-pounds, can play either the small forward or power forward. The Plano, Texas, native attends Jesuit College Prep. in Dallas where he was named team MVP and was an all-state selection after averaging 14 points and eight rebounds as a junior.
In signing two of the country's most sought-after guards along with a pair of consensus Top 100 forwards, Illinois' class ranks among the nation's elite. In fact, Bob Gibbons' All-Star Report ranks the Illini class No. 4 in the country. The Illini still have one remaining scholarship it can offer this year.
"Norm Roberts and Billy Gillispie have done such a great job and have been the point men on all our recruiting," Self said. "Their ability to relate and communicate is very instrumental to our program. This class is only four-fifths complete as we are looking forward to adding a fifth player that would complete what I feel is one of the best recruiting classes in the nation."
JAMES AUGUSTINE
Forward
6-10, 225
Mokena, Ill.
High School: Lincoln-Way Central
High School Coach: Steve Little
Notes: Consensus Top 100 recruit nationally...Averaged 14 points, seven rebounds and five blocks per game as a junior at Lincoln-Way Central...Team finished the year 25-5, advancing to the super-sectional (Sweet Sixteen) of the IHSA Class AA State Tournament...Named to the all-star team at the Adidas ABCD Camp this past summer...Ranked by All-Star Report as the No. 69 player in the nation...Also ranked No. 69 by RivalsHoops.com...Ranked No. 71 by Blue Chip Hoops...Has been selected to play in the Wendy's Shootout, an all-star game featuring preps from the Chicago area vs. the New York City area...Multi-sport athlete also played football (quarterback) and baseball (pitcher) at Lincoln-Way Central...Nickname is Augie...Uncle, Jerry Augustine played professional baseball in the Milwaukee Brewers organization from 1973-85...Uncle, Dick Sorensen played football for the Miami Hurricanes from 1965-70 while cousin, Nick Sorensen played football at Virginia Tech from 1995-2000...Chose Illinois over Purdue, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Wake Forest.
Self on Augustine: "James is a guy from in-state who we got to know and evaluate during our summer camp. We made him a top priority after his excellent performances against some of the elite players during the summer. He is still gaining confidence and has a great frame at 6-10, 225 pounds. James can really shoot the ball and is a very good runner and jumper. Right now he is more of a face-up post player who needs to develop a back-to-the-basket game, but he is a terrific prospect."
DANIEL "DEE" BROWN
Guard
6-0, 165
Maywood, Ill.
High School: Proviso East
High School Coach: Troy Jackson
Notes: Consensus Top 20 recruit nationally...Averaged 19 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and five steals per game as a junior...2001 First-Team All-State selection by the Chicago Sun-Times and the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette ...Led Proviso East to a 25-4 record and the West Suburban Gold Conference championship...Team advanced to the sectional finals of the IHSA Class AA State Tournament...His Proviso East team is ranked No. 1 in the state in this year's Associated Press preseason poll...Reputation as one of the quickest guards in America has earned him the nickname "the one man fast break"...Ranked by RivalsHoops.com as the No. 2 point guard and No. 11 player overall in the nation...Ranked the No. 3 point guard and No. 18 player overall by Blue Chip Hoops...Ranked by All-Star Report as the nation's No. 19 player...Also played football at Proviso East, starting at quarterback...Chose Illinois over Michigan State, Michigan, Cincinnati, and Iowa State among others.
Self on Brown: "Dee will always be close to our hearts because he was the first to jump on the wagon when he committed to Illinois back in the beginning of the summer. He is as quick as anybody in the nation, can really handle the ball and is a great shooter. Dee has point guard skills and a scorer's mentality."
DERON WILLIAMS
Guard
6-3, 195
The Colony, Texas
High School: The Colony
High School Coach: Tommy Thomas
Notes: Consensus Top 50 recruit nationally...Averaged 17 points, 9.4 assists, five rebounds and two steals per game as a junior...2001 Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) First-Team All-State selection...Led The Colony to a 32-2 record and the Texas Class 5A state semifinals...Ranked No. 27 in the nation by All-Star Report...Ranked by RivalsHoops.com as the No. 36 player overall and the No. 8 point guard in the nation...Ranked No. 46 in the nation by Blue Chip Hoops...His high school team is ranked No. 2 in the state in this year's TABC preseason poll...Chose Illinois over Georgia Tech, Maryland and Tennessee.
Self on Williams: "We've been recruiting Deron for a couple of years since we were at Tulsa, and have been following him since his freshman year in high school. He is a true point guard who has tremendous strength and size, along with great shooting ability. Deron has point guard skills and is big enough to guard any of the perimeter positions. He has terrific court vision and a great ability to create scoring opportunities for his teammates."
KYLE WILSON
Forward
6-8, 230
Plano, Texas
High School: Jesuit College Prep.
High School Coach: Fred Younkman
Notes: Consensus Top 100 recruit nationally...Averaged 17 points and eight rebounds per game as a junior, earning team MVP honors...2001 Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) All-State Private Schools selection...Named to four All-Tournament teams as a junior...Member of the USA Team at the 2001 Global Games...Ranked No. 72 in the nation by All-Star Report...Ranked by RivalsHoops.com as the No. 97 player nationally...Named Texas Christian Interscholastic League (TCIL) Newcomer of the Year and was an all-state selection as a sophomore, when Jesuit won the TCIL state championship...Father, Steve played basketball at Newman University from 1977-81...Grandfather, John Born played basketball at Tulsa in the 1950s...Chose Illinois over Notre Dame.
Self on Wilson: "Kyle, in our opinion, is one of the most underrated players in the nation. He's got great size at 6-foot-8-inches and 230 pounds, which is Damir Krupalija-type size. Kyle is an excellent shooter who can score in the paint and behind the arc. He's very versatile and can play both inside and outside."
