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Shaw signs with SIU

Paperwork for Clemmons signing hits snag

Bryan Hunt ~ Centralia Morning Sentinel Centralia star Matt Shaw jumps higher than an opponent in a game last year.

It's official.

Centralia phenom Matt Shaw signed a national letter of intent Wednesday to join the SIU men's basketball team beginning next fall.

Shaw, a muscular 6-foot-6 forward, averaged 18 points and 10 boards last season for the Orphans, and Saluki head coach Matt Painter is excited at the prospect of Shaw manning the paint in the SIU Arena for four years.

"He has a huge upside," Painter said. "He's got great hands. He's the best I've seen in a long time at sealing. He just does a great job of sealing in the post and getting position and getting the ball right in front of the basket. He dunks all the time, dunks on people and he's just a kid that has gotten better every single year.

"Now he's expanded his game to the perimeter. He can make threes. He can put the ball on the floor and attack the basket. He can put the ball on the floor and make pull-ups. We're just ecstatic to get him and are very fortunate."

Shaw also promises to draw local fans the same way former SIU star Kent Williams did in his four-year career.

"I think he's gonna be a kid that is gonna bring a lot of people from the Centralia area and the Southern Illinois area because he's local but also because he's a good player and they just want to see him play because of his skills."

Indianapolis native Wesley Clemmons, a 6-foot-3 guard, is expected to make his commitment to the Salukis official soon, but a snag in the paperwork prevented his signing from being finalized Wednesday.

The Salukis will add Shaw and Clemmons to the roster, and 6-foot-5 Belleville guard Mike Dale is another probable addition if he can gain his eligibility while he sits out this season to adjust to college.

That leaves SIU with one available scholarship to use in the spring signing period.

As is usually the case at this point of the recruiting season for the Salukis, Painter is looking to fill out his recruiting class with a seasoned big man.

"We will continue to try to get that big guy, but we're just not gonna take a big guy," Painter said. "If we can't get the 6-9, 6-10, 250-pound kids that we like, we're gonna sign somebody of quality. We're just not going to take someone just because they're big."