RECRUITING: Coronado’s Louder heads to Jacksonville State
Coronado is having a banner spring in high school sports, with the school’s baseball, softball, boys volleyball and boys golf teams qualifying for their respective Class 4A state competitions.
The season got even better Monday — in boys basketball.
Versatile Coronado senior forward Michael Louder made an oral commitment to Jacksonville State on Monday, calling the Gamecocks to inform them of a decision he made Sunday.
Louder picked Jacksonville State over scholarship offers from Florida A&M and Houston Baptist.
“It seemed like a perfect location for me,” Louder said of Jacksonville State, an Ohio Valley Conference school located in Jacksonville, Ala. “It’s a laid-back town, and I get to focus on basketball. We have a good schedule. It sounds like a lot of fun.”
Louder also drew interest from Cal State Northridge, Central Michigan and Loyola-Chicago.
The 6-foot-8-inch Louder has a wide skill set, with the ability to play inside and step out and shoot 3-pointers.
He earned third-team all-state honors as a senior, leading the Cougars (13-9) to the Sunrise Region playoffs.
Louder scored 26 points in his final high school game, a 72-66 loss at Valley. He was a first-team All-Southeast League selection.
“I have a lot of potential to become a way better player than I am now,” Louder said.
Louder said he plans to sign with the Gamecocks at Coronado on Wednesday.
He also mentioned he was excited to play at UNLV in a Thanksgiving tournament Nov. 17.
“Just look forward to playing UNLV Nov. 17,” he said.
WILLMS TO UTEP — Texas-El Paso announced Monday it had signed Findlay Prep 7-foot-1 senior center Matt Willms to a national letter of intent.
“We weren’t going to sign a player unless we felt he had a chance to be a first team all-league guy,” UTEP coach Tim Floyd said in a statement. “Matt has the tools to become that at some point in his career. He can really run, he has great hands and a great touch. As he gets stronger his impact on the game could become significant. He’s only been playing organized basketball the last two years, but he has the tools to excel at UTEP.”
