Over the past few days St. Leo, a division two program in Florida, landed a pair of commitments from Illinois’ 2024 class. First was from Cam Cerese and next from Jaylan McElroy. Cerese is a 6’3” point guard of Lake Park High School and Greater Purpose Athletics. McElroy is a 6’7” forward of DePaul Prep and the Illinois Wolves.
In his senior season, Cerese averaged 23 points and 3 assists per game. The recruitment of Cerese to the division two school quickly came along over the past week. When on a visit to the Florida school, they offered him, and he then committed right on the visit. “The visit was awesome,” he said about his experience there which happened on the 16th-18th. “The campus was unbelievable, it felt like a resort to me. The coaches and team were so welcoming to me and treated me fantastic. Everything suited me so well and had no choice but to commit.”
Some of the main things the senior like about St. Leo included the atmosphere, vibe, campus, and weather. Regarding the basketball side, Cerese said “The coaches and all the teammates are very high level and have a great team bond. Very competitive team as well.” Another school to have offered him previously was Lewis University.
Just a few short days later St. Leo also added a commitment from McElroy. The senior is coming off back-to-back state championship seasons at DePaul Prep in Chicago. As well to his state championship senior season, the forward also had 3A first team all-state honors by the IBCA. Not only is St. Leo landing one of the top available seniors in the state but also one of the top defenders and versatile forwards. He was previously offered by Illinois State and Loyola Maryland.
As well to the two new commitments for their 2024 recruiting class from Illinois, they already held a commitment from another Midwest product. 6’2” sharp shooting guard Brady Corso of Neenah High School and the Wisconsin Blizzard had committed to them back in September.