Illinois State head coach Porter Moser added some more size to the Redbird front line with the signing of Levi Dyer, from Eaton High School in Eaton, Colo., Friday.
Dyer, a 6-foot-10, 227-pound center, signed a national letter of intent to continue his education and basketball career at Illinois State.
Levi is an extremely skilled post player, Moser said. He has great hands and his range extends beyond the three-point line. He fits in with the offensive things that were trying to do by having a skilled post player.
Dyer showed his skills by leading Eaton to the final four of the Colorado state high school championships and an 18-8 overall record. Dyer averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks per game as a senior, while receiving first team all-state and all-conference honors.
Moser is just as excited about Dyers development and success as he is about his size.
I think hes still growing and he has a frame that he can add 20 pounds, Moser said. I like that he has really been coached and that hes won. Levi loves to play and thats why Im confident that hes going to be a heck of a player. He wants to get better and to be that skilled at 6-10 is something that we definitely wanted to add to our team.
Dyers respect for Moser and his staff was instrumental in his decision.
I really enjoy and respect the coaching staff and coach Moser has been great through the process, Dyer said. The players were fun to hang around on my visit and I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the community.
At Eaton, Dyer was coached by Kevin Brown, who served as the head coach at Bloomingtons Central Catholic High School from 1997-2002 and was an assistant coach with the Saints for five years prior to becoming head coach. Brown, who is familiar with both Dyer and Redbird basketball, sees a nice fit between the two.
For a 6-10 kid, he is extremely skilled, Brown said. He can routinely shoot the ball from the outside and has the ability to play inside. From meeting and talking with coach Moser, Im positive that Levi will be a good fit for what they are trying to accomplish at Illinois State.
In addition to basketball, Dyer also had some prep success on the football field as a tight end and punter. He had 22 catches for 250 yards and belted a 49.3 yard per punt average. On the gridiron, he also received first team all-state and all-conference honors, while the Reds finished second in state with a 12-1 mark.
Dyer joins Justin Dentmon, Lorenzo Gordon, Nedu Onyeuku (NEY-do oh-NEW-cue) as part of Mosers first recruiting class at Illinois State.
