The Valparaiso men’s basketball team has inked four players to National Letters of Intent since the start of the early signing period on Wednesday, head coach Bryce Drew announced Thursday afternoon.  Jubril Adekoya, Nick Davidson, Lexus Williams and Clay Yeo have all signed on the dotted line and will join the Crusaders as freshmen in the fall of 2013.  The early signing period runs through Wednesday, November 21.

Adekoya, a 6’6” forward out of Andrew H.S. in Tinley Park, Ill., averaged 15.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game last season for Andrew, setting a new program single-season record with 301 total rebounds.  Adekoya was an All-Area selection by ESPNChicago.com and played his AAU basketball for MeanStreets.

“Jubril is a very skilled, very physical player,” said Drew.  “He has a great understanding of the game, and should be ready for the college game immediately.”

Davidson, a 6’4” guard out of Andrean H.S. in Merrillville, Ind., averaged 17.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for the Fifty-Niners as a junior.  Davidson, who is ranked among the top-20 prospects in the state of Indiana in the class of 2013 by a number of publications, played last summer for the Indiana Junior All-Stars.

“We’ve been recruiting Nick since he's been a freshman, and we’re extremely thrilled to have a local player from Northwest Indiana join our team,” said Drew.  “Nick has a great feel for the game and is an extremely competitive player.”

Williams, a 5’11” guard out of Marist H.S. in Chicago, averaged 13 points, six assists and four steals per game for the Red Hawks last year while leading them to a 26-6 record and a regional championship.  Williams played his AAU basketball for DRose All-Stars.

“Lexus comes from a very good high school program, where he's been the catalyst of running the team's offense,” said Drew.  “His ball-handling, speed, and ability to run a team should be a great asset for our program.”

Yeo, a 6’5” swingman out of Triton H.S. in Bourbon, Ind., helped lead the Trojans to the Indiana 1A state title game as a sophomore, averaging 16.3 points per game.  Last season, Yeo scored better than 25 points per game for the Trojans.  This past summer, Yeo joined Davidson in playing for the Indiana Junior All-Stars, and has also been ranked among the top-20 players in his class in Indiana.

“Clay is a very long and athletic player,” said Drew.  “He comes from a great Indiana high school basketball program, and should be able to help our program tremendously.”