Nov. 9, 2011
NORMAL, Ill. -
North Chicago High School point guard Aaron Simpson and Anthony Beane Jr., a product of Normal Community High School and the son of Illinois State assistant basketball coach Anthony Beane Sr., will continue their collegiate and basketball careers at Illinois State, after each signed National Letters of Intent (NLI) Wednesday during the NCAA early signing period.
Last season, Simpson averaged 22.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, while sinking 71 three-point field goals. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior also led North Chicago to a fourth-place finish at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 3A State Tournament. As a four-year varsity player, Simpson also played over the summer with Team NLP, an AAU squad.
"Aaron is an explosive scorer and while he's not really big, he plays much bigger than his size and he's an outstanding athlete," ISU head coach Tim Jankovich said. "He's a natural scorer and has a real knack for getting the ball in the basket in a lot of different ways."
Beane, who was named the 2011 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, started the last two seasons at NCHS and averaged 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game last year. He led the Ironmen to a fourth-place finish at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 4A State Tournament.
"Anthony is a tremendous athlete and a tremendous competitor who is very versatile guard," Jankovich said. "He's our prototype guard in that he could easily be considered a point guard, but could play any or all guard positions.
"It has been a real pleasure for me to watch him grow up. When we got here, he was in eighth grade, and he has become an outstanding young man and a winner in so many ways."
Beane, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard, was also named to The Pantagraph All-Area Team in 2011. During the summer, Beane played for both the St. Louis Eagles and Team Illinois on the AAU circuit. Both Beane and Simpson rank as three-star recruits by Rivals.com, and are also each two-star prospects according to ESPN.com.
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