The building process continues with head coach Robin Pingeton's second recruiting class to Illinois State University basketball with four incoming freshmen she describes as "winners with a passion to play" signing National Letters of Intent on Wednesday.
Pingeton continues to recruit close to home. Three of the signees are from Illinois--6-foot forward Brea Banks from Marian Catholic, 5-foot-8 guard Kristi Cirone from Resurrection and 5-foot-10 guard/forward Brooke Singleton from Roseville. The fourth recruit is 6-foot-5 Nicolle Lewis from Wind Lake, Wis.--just 30 miles north of the Illinois-Wisconsin line.
"They all possess a great understanding of the game and will fit very well in our style of play," said Pingeton. "They are winners with a passion to play and that's what we want in this program. I feel honored and privileged to have them in our Redbird family. This makes nine of 10 recruits from Illinois. We are committed to this state for the core of our recruiting because there is so much talent and so many great high school and AAU programs."
2004 ILLINOIS STATE BASKETBALL SIGNEES
Brea Banks, F, 6-0, Fr., Richton Park, Ill. (Marian Catholic HS)
Kristi Cirone, G, 5-8, Fr., Chicago, Ill. (Resurrection HS)
Nicolle Lewis, C, 6-5, Fr., Wind Lake, Wis. (Muskego HS)
Brooke Singleton, G/F, 5-10, Fr., Roseville, Ill. (Roseville HS)
BREA BANKS, 6-0, Fr., F
Richton Park, Ill.
Marian Catholic HS, Chicago Heights, Ill.
BANKS NOTES: Missed 2004 AAU competition because of a stress fracture ... averaged 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds, shooting 44 percent from the field in 2004 for a team with five starters all earning college sports scholarships ... 2003 and 2004 teams advanced to the IHSA State Finals, losing to Naperville Central both years ... averaged 10 pts. and shot .737 from the field in Redbird Arena in 2004 ... prep coach is Shannon Reidy ... also participates in track and field--conference champion in discus in 2004 ... daughter of Duane and Rose Banks, with sisters Teresa and Asia ... plans to major in psychology and go in to coaching or sports psychology ... National Honor Society member ... full name is Brea Marie Banks, born March 11, 1987 ... first name pronounced BRAY-ah.
QUOTING BREA: "Illinois State is the perfect fit for me. The coaching staff is great. The distance from home is close. The university is respected. It all seemed perfect. Coach P is somebody I know I can definitely trust. I like the motion offense and the running game Illinois State plays. I loved it from my first day visiting campus. I had been thinking about other places, but the people at Illinois State changed my mind."
Coach Robin Pingeton on Brea:
"Brea is strong and explosive. She has been a part of talented teams so her stats may not reflect her ability, but she can play on the perimeter or with her back to the basket. Her build is something we don't have on our roster. Although she had to sit out of her summer competition because of a stress fracture, she was tapped as a top 26 forward in the country."
KRISTI CIRONE, 5-8, Fr., G
Chicago, Ill.
Resurrection HS, Chicago, Ill.
CIRONE NOTES: 2004 First-Team All-Stater by Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, Chicago Sun-Times and Champaign News-Gazette ...one of only two juniors on the IBCA first team ... 2nd team All-Stater by Chicago Tribune ... in first three years as a varsity player, led her teams to 62-29 record and became all-time Resurrection leader in points (1,676), assists (271) and steals (246) ... her 703 points in 2003-04 are school season record and she holds the single-game scoring record with 43 ...
averaged 22.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.7 steals per game as a junior; 20.3 points, 3.9 assists, 3.9 steals as a sophomore; 10.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game as a freshman ... led team to 2004 IHSA regional title over Buffalo Grove (with current Redbird guard Ashley Sandstead) and No. 16 state ranking by Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times ... prep coach is Kerry Durham ... first honor roll student ... daughter of Frank and Eileen Cirone, with brother Tommy (a football player at Lake Forest College) ... plans to major in nursing or sports medicine ... full name is Kristi M. Cirone, born May 19, 1987 ... last name pronounced sir-OH-nee.
QUOTING KRISTI: "I am excited. I am still concentrating on my last
season in high school, but college at Illinois State will be fun. I was comfortable with the players and coaches when I visited. I love the facilities and environment. Coach P is awesome. She gets everyone to work hard, but she is your friend and everyone is treated like family. On the court, I love to get out and run, and that's the Illinois State style. I knew as soon as I visited that Illinois State was where I wanted to be."
Coach Robin Pingeton on Kristi:
"Kristi has tremendous court awareness and an unbelievable understanding of the game. She is a point guard who can score, pass and defend and she has a career high of 43 points per game. She was one of only two juniors named First Team All-State by the IBCA."
NICOLLE LEWIS, 6-5, Fr., C
Wind Lake, Wis.
Muskego HS, Muskego, Wis.
LEWIS NOTES: 2nd Team All-State basketball player also stars for volleyball team ... 2004 southeast Wisconsin player of the year ... led team to 2003 and 2004 conference championships ... three-year varsity starter who averaged 18.0 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 53 percent from the field as a junior; 16.3 points, 9.3 rebounds as a sophomore ... prep coach is Ron Kozlowski ... played for 2003 AAU national champion Wisconsin Playground Warriors, averaging 14 points per game ... led volleyball team to state finals in 2004, her third year as a starting middle blocker ... honor roll student ... daughter of John and Cilvia Lewis, with sister Erica ... major is undeclared, but wants a career in sports management or administration ... full name is Nicolle Marie Lewis, born May 26, 1987.
QUOTING NICOLLE: "Im coming to Illinois State because I love it. The coaching staff, the players and the team, and everything Illinois State has to offer with Redbird Arena, the academic assistants ... it all was impressive. I particularly like the academic support people because they are available to help. Redbird Arena has a great atmosphere and its a great place to play. Coach P is an outstanding coach because she communicates well with her players and she is an easy person to talk to. But you can tell its all business at practice or game time. I like that."
Coach Robin Pingeton on Nicolle:
"Nicolle is very versatile at 6-foot-5 and has the ability to run the floor. She was being recruited by some Big 10 and Big 12 schools. Her AAU Wisconsin Playground team was national champions in 2003."
BROOKE SINGLETON, 5-10, Fr., G/F
Roseville, Ill.
Roseville HS, Roseville, Ill.
SINGLETON NOTES: 2003 & 2004 Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-Stater has led first three prep teams to combined 56-27 record 2004 Macomb Journal Female Athlete of the Year also leads Roseville volleyball team which has won three straight regional titles 2003 & 2004 Macomb Journal Area Basketball Co-Player of the Year 2002 and 2003 Galesburg Register-Mail and Monmouth Daily Review Atlas Area Volleyball Player of the Year 2003 & 2004 Peoria Journal-Star all-area in basketball ..averaged 20.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 4.8 steals as a junior; 17 pts., 6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game as a sophomore; 14 pts., 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game as a freshman ... led volleyball team to IHSA Class A Finals at Redbird Arena with 35-4 record in 2004 ...volleyball teams were combined 124-30 in four years ... hit .534, leading team in kills for three seasons part of 2002 and 2003 IHSA 800 meter Sprint Medley Relay state champions... prep basketball coach is Fred Lewis ... played AAU basketball for Illinois Spirit, where her coach was former Bradley basketball star Eddie Matthews ... USAA National Math Award winner ... National Honor Society ... honor roll student ... daughter of Brett and Chris Singleton, with sister Erin (volleyball player at St. Ambrose) and brother Raun (basketball player at Illinois Central College) ... undecided on major ... full name is Brooke Leigh Singleton, born Oct. 9, 1986.
QUOTING BROOKE: Its a great honor for Illinois State to want me to come and play. One of the things that stood out for me was the coaching staff--they are determined to succeed. I can tell by their demeanor that they want to push you to be your best and thats what I wanted. The campus is beautiful and they have all of the kinds of things I might want to study. Id seen Redbird Arena at the volleyball and basketball tournaments and its the best arena Ive ever seen. Volleyball is great fun, but basketball is my first love.
Coach Robin Pingeton on Brooke:
"Brooke is as smooth of an athlete as I've ever seen. She has a great work ethic, a passion for the game and is very athletic. She can run and jump with the best of them, has a silky smooth jump shot and can defend. She has led her volleyball team to an excellent seasons as well."
