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.