Robert Whaley Signs Letter of Intent to Attend Missouri
11/10/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 10, 2000
Columbia, Mo. - Benton Harbor (Mich.) High School standout Robert Whaley has signed a national letter of intent to attend the University of Missouri, and will play basketball for the Tigers, as announced today by Head Coach Quin Snyder.
Whaley is a 6-foot-9, 250-pound power forward who is considered by many recruiting services as one of the nation's top prospects, and is ranked by ESPN.com as the No. 10 prep player in the country. He averaged 17.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.2 blocks, 3.2 assists and 3.1 steals per game last year at Benton Harbor, and helped lead his team to a Big 8 Conference title and a Class A district championship. He received honorable mention on USA Today's high school all-American team, and was a consensus first-team all-state selection.
"Robert is a very exciting player who is a great kid, as well," said Snyder. "He is one of the top rebounders and defensive players in the class of 2001, and he will provide immediate size and strength for us in the paint. He has a unique basketball sense about him, and is a tremendous low-post threat offensively. We are extremely pleased to add a player of Robert's caliber to our program," he said.
Whaley plays at Benton Harbor for Head Coach Paul Wilhite and Assistant Coach Lou Harvey, who is the father of MU Associate Head Coach Tony Harvey. He picked Missouri over Michigan State, Michigan, Kentucky, Georgetown, Syracuse, Cincinnati and Connecticut. He is the son of Ms. Sonya Whaley and John Barnes.
Whaley is the third prep standout to sign with the Tigers in the early period, which runs Nov. 8-15. Missouri has two scholarships remaining to offer for the 2001-02 season. The Tigers' class is already being mentioned as one of the country's top-10 classes.
MISSOURI'S EARLY SIGNEES Name Ht. Wt. Ppg. Rpg. Hometown/H.S. Jeffrey Ferguson 6-10 215 12.2 10.1 Benton Harbor, Mich./High Duane John 6-6 195 32.5 12.1 Toronto, Ontario/Boylen/ Homestead Fla./Berkshire Robert Whaley 6-9 250 17.2 6.7 Benton Harbor, Mich./High
