Four 2021 Prospects Sign with Louisville on First Day of Early Signing Period
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program has received a signed National Letter of Intent from all four of their current Class of 2021 commits, with each of them signing on Wednesday - the first day of the week-long 2020 Early Signing Period.
The next crop of incoming high school seniors include Eric Van Der Heijden, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Millbrook High School in Raleigh, N.C.; Michael James, a 6-foot-6, 205-pound forward from Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, Fla.; and Bobby Pettiford, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound point guard from South Granville High School in Creedmoor, N.C.
Louisville also secured a signature from sophomore JUCO prospect El Ellis, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard from Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla.
Van Der Heijden averaged 12.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game over 24 games played last season for Millbrook. He was named First Team All-Conference, Third Team All-District, and shot 45% from three-point range as a junior.
James was named a First Team All-State selection as a junior, averaging 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists and helping Oak Ridge reach the Class 7A semifinals. He was also named to the Class 7A All-Tournament team, as well as the Orlando Sentinel All-Area squad.
Pettiford is regarded as a top five player in the state of North Carolina, as he averaged 21.8 points, 7.4 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game during his junior year. He was named First Team All-State and was a MaxPreps Junior All-America honorable mention.
The lone JUCO signee, Ellis was the consensus top ranked JUCO prospect in the Class of 2021. He averaged 14.3 points, 4.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds during his lone season at Tallahassee Community College, and was only the fourth freshman since 1997 to win Panhandle Conference Player of the Year.
Collectively, they come in as the No. 20 recruiting class in the nation according to 247Sports. It's the fourth-best class in the Atlantic Coast Conference, trailing only Florida State, Miami & Georgia Tech.
While Louisville's Class of 2021 is already four players deep, the Cards might not be done just yet. Roosevelt Wheeler, a 6-foot-10, 220-pound center from John Marshall High School in Richmond, Va., is set to announce his commitment on Nov. 16 with Louisville as the current favorite.
(Photo of El Ellis: Tallahassee C.C. Athletics)
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page. Also be sure to like us on Facebook &Twitter:
Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI and Matthew McGavic at @GeneralWasp
