TOLEDO, Ohio – Head Coach
Tod Kowalczyk announced the addition of
Sam Lewis (Chicago, Ill.),
Xavier Thomas (Detroit, Mich.) and
Sonny Wilson (Pontiac, Mich.) to the University of Toledo men's basketball program on Wednesday. The trio will join the Rockets on campus prior to the start of the 2023-24 academic year after each signed a National Letter of Intent on National Signing Day.
"I'm really excited about this recruiting class, and we can't wait for Sam, Xavier and Sonny to get on campus to join our basketball family," Kowalczyk said. "We were able to secure a lot of top targets on our board and couldn't be happier how the early signing period played out."
Lewis is one of the Top 15 seniors in Illinois and played the past three seasons at Oak Park High School. He averaged 16.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.0 apg and 2.0 spg last year for the Huskies and will play at Simeon Career Academy in his senior year.
"Sam is a long, athletic wing that can score at all three levels," Kowalczyk said. "I think he has the ability to be a really good defender with his length and toughness."
A 6-foot-5 forward, Thomas has started each of the last three years at Brother Rice High School. He averaged 13.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 3.2 apg last year for a 15-7 squad en route to earning First-Team All-Catholic League honors.
"Xavier is the type of skilled forward that we have had a lot of success with in our program," Kowalczyk said. "He can put it on the floor, shoot the three and has a really good feel for the game."
A 6-foot-1 guard, Wilson is rated a three-star prospect and ranked No. 135 nationally by 247 Sports. He earned first-team AP All-State honors last year after averaging 23.0 ppg, 6.0 apg, 4.0 rpg and 3.0 spg to lead University of Detroit Jesuit to its sixth-straight regional title. Wilson is a three-time first-team All-Detroit and All-Catholic League selection who averaged 18.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 6.9 apg and 2.6 spg as a sophomore as well as 16.0 ppg, 6.4 apg, 4.7 rpg and 1.6 spg as a freshman.
"Sonny is a very talented point guard who is an absolute winner," Kowalczyk said. "He has a lot of strengths and can really score the ball. Sonny is also a pass-first type of point guard and a tremendous defender."
Toledo is back in action on Friday, Nov. 11 when it battles UAB in the Barstool Sports Invitational in Philadelphia, Pa. Tipoff time is set for 5:00 p.m. with streaming available on Barstool.TV.
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