ESPN

Senior guard Alvin Ellis, of Chicago's De La Salle High School, committed and signed his letter of intent to the Michigan State Spartans on Wednesday.

Ellis, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, was previously signed with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He averaged 20 points, six rebounds and four rebounds for De La Salle in the Chicago Catholic League this past season.

MeanStreets AAU coach Tai Streets, Ellis’ club coach, thought Ellis would excel at Michigan State under Spartans coach Tom Izzo.

“I love Izzo though I’m a Michigan alum,” said Streets, who played football at Michigan. “That’s my guy. I know I’m going to get into trouble for that, but it’s true. If it’s not Michigan, you can’t go wrong with Izzo.

“I think it’s a great fit for Alvin. First of all, he’s a hard worker. He’s in the gym every day. His shot has improved. His ball handling has improved. Everything has improved. He’s going to be great at Michigan State. I think it’s a steal.”

Izzo, who missed out on fellow Chicago recruit Jabari Parker earlier this year, also spoke highly of Ellis in a statement.

“Alvin will be a great addition to our backcourt,” Izzo said. “We like his offensive skill set, especially his shooting touch, hitting 40 percent from three each of the last two seasons. He has good length and versatility, with the ability to defend a couple different positions on the perimeter. Combine his great work ethic, his great family background and his commitment to academics, and I expect him to be the type of player that really develops during his time as a Spartan, enjoying the complete student-athlete experience.”

Ellis joins his former high school teammate Gavin Schilling in Michigan State’s 2013 recruiting class. Ellis and Schilling were teammates at De La Salle during their junior seasons. Schilling spent his senior season at Findlay Prep in Nevada.

De La Salle senior forward Andre Henley has committed to Northern Illinois, giving newly-named coach Mark Montgomery his third Chicago recruit since being hired.

Henley, a 6-6 small forward, averaged 14 points, six rebounds and four assists while helping De La Salle win the Catholic League and finish 22-3 overall last season.

Henley chose the Huskies over interest from Bradley, Indiana State, Missouri State, Providence and Tennessee.

Montgomery also recently received commitments from Brooks twin forwards Keith and Kevin Gray, two of the Chicago Public League’s top seniors.

“If you look at Northern Illinois’ roster last year, they didn’t have many kids from Chicago,” De La Salle coach Tom White said. “Montgomery is going in there and signing three or four Chicago kids right off the bat.

“Northern Illinois is getting a scorer in Andre. I think every night he steps on the floor he can get 20 points. He’s an assist guy, too. He’s a setup man. He can dribble with either hand. He attacks the basket. On the defensive side, he’s a kid who can get 7-8 rebounds every game. He can defend a few different spot. He’s a big body. I think it’s a steal for them.”

Henley joins Northern Illinois’ 2011 recruiting class that includes Keith and Kevin Gray, Glenbard East (IL) point guard Zach Miller, Liberty Tech (TN) shooting guard DeAndre Barnette and Saginaw (MI) shooting guard Marquavis Ford.

CHICAGO -- ESPNU Top 100 prospect Mike Shaw, of De La Salle, committed to Illinois at a news conference on Thursday.

The 6-foot-8 Shaw chose Illinois over DePaul and Marquette. He is ranked 69th overall in the Class of 2011 and the eighth best power forward by ESPN recruiting.

Read the entire story.