April 12, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
Head coach Porter Moser continued his torrid recruiting as both Dominitrix Johnson (Three Rivers JC/Bell City, Mo.) and Keith "Boo" Richardson (Coffeyville CC/Kansas City, Kan.) signed national letters of intent on Wednesday to continue their education and basketball careers at Illinois State. Both players were named to National Junior College Athletic Association All-America teams on Tuesday, when Richardson received first team honors and Johnson was named to the third team.
Richardson, a 5-foot-8, 160-pound point guard, led the Red Ravens to a 33-5 record this season and a seventh-place finish at the national junior college tournament. He was honored with the Bud Obee Outstanding Small Player Award at the tournament after averaging 11.8 points, 3.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals in four games.
"Boo is a true point guard and floor leader," Moser said. "Not only is he a great player, but he makes the guys around him better. As happy as I am to have him (on our team), guys like Roberto (Fortes), (Brandon) Holtz, Levi (Dyer) and Dilly (Greg Dilligard) are also going to be really happy.
"As a coach, when you go watch players play to evaluate them it is usually a business-like approach, but when watching Boo, I found myself becoming a fan. I got excited by some of the plays he made and just his overall toughness."
Richardson finished this past season averaging 15.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He also totaled 88 steals and 190 assists with only 92 turnovers while playing 39 minutes per game. He shot 41 percent from the field, 34 percent from 3-point range and 78.3 percent from the free throw line. Richardson was named the Region VI Player of the Year and claimed All-Jayhawk Conference and All-Region VI honors.
"I just feel a lot of loyalty with the coaching staff," Richardson said. "They did a really good job of recruiting me and I'm just looking forward to playing in Redbird Arena and in the Valley. I see myself being able to come in and get a lot of minutes and that was really important to me. I want to come in and make sure we win more games than we did last year and compete for a conference championship.
"I'm just a hard worker. Even if things aren't going right, I'm going to do whatever I can to help my teammates. I'm not the biggest guy in the world, but I will always give 110 percent and that's what separates me from a lot of other players."
In his two seasons at Coffeyville, the Red Ravens compiled a 59-12 record and won two conference championships. Richardson was also recruited by New Mexico, Tulsa, Purdue, Texas Tech and Marquette.
Johnson, who goes by Dom, is a 6-foot, 185-pound, left-handed combo guard. He led the Raiders to a 23-8 record this past season and averaged 15.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. He also tallied 88 assists and 38 steals. Johnson finished his two-year career at Three Rivers averaging 13.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.0 steal per game, while twice being named to the All-Midwest Community College Athletic Conference and all-region teams.
"There are so many things that Dom can do," Moser said. "He's a winner, he's extremely tough and he can play two positions. Dom can shoot it and make guys around him better. He played for one of the best coaches on any level, in Gene Bess. I know that by having to go through coach Bess' practices, Dom has been exposed to the level of toughness and intensity that you need to have to be successful at this level.
"He gets up underneath (as a defender) and takes a tremendous amount of pride in what he does defensively. Dom builds on what we are trying to do defensively, but he also fills a need offensively. He can really shoot it and score."
As a prep, Johnson was a three-time Class 1A all-state selection and led Bell City to a state championship as a sophomore and a senior, en route to being named the Southeastern Missouri Player of the Year.
"I'm just really excited about coming to Illinois State," Johnson said. "When I came on my visit, I just really liked the campus and the people I met. With those (variables) and the coaching staff, I just felt at home at Illinois State.
"I like a fast-paced style and I want to get the crowd in the game. I've always been able to score, but I really picked up my defense in junior college. If I had the choice between a defensive stop or scoring, I would take the stop any day. Defense is what wins games."
During his high school career, the Cubs notched an 88-15 record in his three seasons as a varsity starter, including a 29-4 mark his senior season. Johnson averaged 29.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game his senior season and scored over 40 points in seven games, including 40 points in the state championship game. He was actively recruited by Northern Iowa, Missouri and Bradley.
Johnson and Richardson join Osiris Eldridge (Phillips Academy/Chicago, Ill.), a 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard, and Bobby Hill (Vashon High School/St. Louis, Mo.), a 6-foot-6, 203-pound wing, who each signed during the early signing period last fall.
"Bobby and Osiris can each run the floor and finish and bring such athleticism (to our team)," Moser said. "Now that we have two guards who can handle the ball, it is going to help them too. Bobby and Osiris are going to benefit so much from playing with guys like Dom and Boo, because they are tough, can handle the ball and have won. It is going to increase their game a lot."
Moser and his staff have one scholarship remaining for the 2006-07 season.
