May 4, 2007

NEWARK, NJ - Jheryl Wilson, a senior at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark has signed a National Letter of Intent to continue his academic and basketball career at New Jersey Institute of Technology, NJIT coach Jim Casciano announced.

Wilson, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound guard, was a captain for St. Benedict's, which finished 2006-07 ranked fifth among the nation's high school teams in the USA Today Top 25. The Grey Bees, who finished 24-1, were ranked second in the East by USA Today.

Wilson, whose first name is pronounced ja-RELL, excelled on and off the court at St. Benedict's. Playing for coach Danny Hurley, Wilson was a four-year contributor on the varsity, during which time he teamed with at least 15 players who went on to compete in Division I basketball, plus JR Smith, who jumped directly from high school into the NBA. Academically, Wilson was a high honor roll student.

Playing in a star-studded high school lineup, Wilson averaged 6.7 points per game as a senior, with a high of 21 points. He connected on 20 of 40 three-point attempts. NJHoops selected him as one of the top 50 seniors in the state prior to the 2006-07 season.

"We're very pleased to have Jheryl join us," said Casciano. "He comes from an excellent high school program and we think that kind of winning attitude will help us as we build our Division I program."

For Casciano, whose team played its first season of NCAA Division I competition on 2006-07, Wilson's mental and physical attributes will be a plus as he joins the Highlanders.

"You can't underestimate the value of taking kids from good programs," said Casciano. "His coach (Danny Hurley) played and coached in major college basketball and Jheryl has always been around top players. He seems to thrive in that environment."

At NJIT, Wilson will be asked to play both guard spots. "We like his versatility," said Casciano. "He has the ability to penetrate with the ball and he can also hit the open three. He's a good on-the-ball defender, so he will help us in a lot of areas."

Wilson, whose high school is less than a five-minute drive from NJIT's campus, is the son of Edward and Patricia Wilson. His father, Edward, was his AAU coach with the GYM (Gifted Young Minds) club.

Jheryl, who resides in Irvington, NJ, plans to major in communications at NJIT.

Wilson is the third NLI signee announced by NJIT men's basketball for the upcoming season. The two signees from the early period were guard Justin Garris of Ledgewood, NJ and Delbarton School and forward Paulius Skema of Vilnius, Lithuania and Veritas Christian Academy in Fletcher, NC.