Bocot was in attendance Saturday night to watch the nationally ranked Salukis defeat
the Evansville Aces and apparently liked what he saw. Randy Kindred from the Bloomington Pantagraph reports that "when Southern Illinois offered Justin Bocot a scholarship this past weekend, the Bloomington High School basketball star was quick to say yes." Bocot is considered by many to be one of the top scorers in the Midwest and has canceled a trip to Iowa after making his decision to come to SIU late Sunday night. Other schools that Bocot considered included Illinois, Kansas State, DePaul, and a host of MVC schools. Per NCAA rules Lowery cannot comment on Bocot until he signs on the dotted line in April but he has to be pleased with his new recruit. There are still a few things that have to happen to get Bocot in uniform for SIU next season.
First he needs to score a qualifying mark on the ACT. According to the Bloomington Pantagraph report Bocot is taking classes to prepare for the ACT and he is confident he will post a qualifying score.
Another consideration is how Justin Bocot fits into the Scholarship picture. Midstatehoops.com indicates that he is a pure scorer, backed up by the fact he has averaged 20 points a game the last two seasons, he can handle the ball, he has a natural feel for the game, and can get to the rack for the dunk. Despite all of these skills Bocot himself is considering taking a redshirt to add some strength to his 6-3 frame. Nick Evans could be a candidate to take that redshirt as well. A redshirt from one of these two players might be the only way to fit all four recruits into the picture next season unless a player on the current team transfers; as some rumors have suggested. If Bocot does indeed redshirt he will join a deadly '08 class that includes Torres Roundtree, Chris Parrish, and 6-8 big man Anthony Booker.
