Grant Signs First Recruiting Class at CofC
11/12/2014 10:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Head Coach Earl Grant and his staff have signed their first recruiting class at the College of Charleston on Wednesday – the first day of the early signing period.
The Cougars will welcome six-foot, 185-pound point guard Marquise Pointer (pronounced MAR-quise (like geese)) out of Jonesboro Senior High School in Jonesboro, Ark., and 6-foot-3, 165-pound shooting guard Grant Riller (pronounced RILL-lurr) out of Ocoee High School in Ocoee, Fla., next season.
A three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Pointer was rated as the No. 35 point guard in the nation by ESPN Recruiting Nation Rankings. Last year, he averaged 18.5 points, 2.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game as a junior. Pointer was named all-state and all-conference leading the Hurricanes to the Class AAAAAA state championship title and a 30-3 overall record. Jonesboro Senior was also ranked No. 28 nationally by USA TODAY. He chose CofC over Wichita State with interest from Ole Miss.
“I am very fortunate to have signed both, Marquise Pointer and Grant Riller, in my first recruiting class,” Grant said. “Marquise is a tough, physical point guard that comes from a winning program. He is very aggressive and is good at attacking the basket. He has great vision and makes his teammates better. He is a high-level, on-the-ball defender and a good three-point shooter.”
A two-star recruit, Riller gained attention on the recruiting scene after playing well in a Philadelphia tournament this summer on the AAU Basketball circuit for Q6 All-Stars under head coach Willie Anderson. Q6 All-Stars also produced CofC sophomore post player Glen Pierre, Jr.
Last season, Riller averaged 14.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game as a junior at Ocoee High School, which plays in the same conference as CofC sophomore point guard Joe Chealey's alma mater, Apopka High School located just outside of Orlando, Fla. Riller chose CofC over FIU, Hofstra and Cleveland State.
“Grant is a very talented combo-guard with super athleticism and speed,” Grant said. “He has a great knack for scoring the ball and he does it in a variety of ways. He is a really good three-point shooter and has a unique way of creating his own shot. I anticipate Grant having a great career at the College of Charleston.”
2015-16 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON MEN'S BASKETBALL SIGNEES
Marquise Pointer, G, 6-0, 180, Jonesboro Senior High School, Jonesboro, Ark.
Grant Riller, G, 6-3, 165, Ocoee High School, Ocoee, Fla.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT MARQUISE POINTER
“You (College of Charleston) will love him. Marquise Pointer is a really good player on the court, but is even a better person off the court. The best word to describe him is 'winner.' Offensively, he is unselfish, but can score when needed. Defensively, he is the best I have ever coached.” – Jonesboro Senior High School Head Boys Basketball Coach and AAU Arkansas Wings Head Coach Wes Swift
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT GRANT RILLER
“Grant Riller epitomizes the total package in a student-athlete: a good student, a good person and a good player. The College of Charleston is the perfect fit for Grant to continue to grow in all three phases. In Grant, the Cougars are not only getting an excellent basketball player with an outstanding skill-set, but they are getting an even better person of tremendous character.” – Ocoee High School Head Boys Basketball Coach Rob Gordon
“Grant Riller will bring some scoring and athleticism from a guard standpoint to the College of Charleston. He is very explosive off the bounce and carries a little swagger with him. I haven't seen a kid like him in the Central Florida area in terms of being able to score in such a variety of ways. Two years ago, I didn't think he was good enough to play for us. But, credit to him and how hard he worked and trained to get better to be a part of our team. He is definitely the guy who is not afraid to take big shots for you and is not going to back down to the competition. This year in travel ball, his play and effort spoke for itself.” – AAU Q6 All-Stars Head Coach Willie Anderson
