NIU signs four hoopsters
DEKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University head coach Rashon Burno has announced the addition of four signees to the Huskie men’s basketball program. Yanic Niederahuser (Fraschels, Switzerland), Zarique Nutter (Newark, N.J.), Armandas Plintauskas (Kedainiai, Luthuania) and Taku Youngblood (Yokohama, Japan) have each signed Letters of Intent to join the NIU men’s basketball team for the 2022-23 season.
“We are extremely excited to add these four players to our 2022 signing class,” said Burno. “Adding this group of talent to our core will really fortify what we have been able to establish in year one. We bring in talent, versatility, scoring, depth, and most importantly high character kids who will be valuable members of the NIU community. This class will, without a doubt, help us compete for MAC titles.”
The four spring signees join Xavier Amos (Chicago, Ill.) and David Coit (Princeton, N.J.), who signed with the Huskies in the fall.
Amos averaged 18 points, nine rebounds and four blocks per game while helping Whitney Young win the Chicago Public League title and finish as the Illinois Class 4A runner-up this season. The 6-foot-8 Amos was named to the Chicago Sun-Times All-State First Team, the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Class 4A All-State First Team and the Associated Press Illinois Class 4A All-State Second Team.
Nutter has spent the last two seasons at Clarendon College in Clarendon, Texas, where this past season he averaged 19.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-6 native of Newark. N.J. also averaged 2.8 assists per game and shot 53.4 percent from the field in 2021-22. During his first season at Clarendon in 2020-21, Nutter was the Western Junior College Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year while averaging 15.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, shooting 55.9 percent from the field.
Youngblood comes to NIU after spending two seasons at St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Conn. Originally from Yokohama, Japan, Youngblood averaged 15 points, five assists, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks per game this past season at St. Thomas More. The 6-foot-1 Youngblood was recruited by high-major schools and is the 16th-ranked player in New England by the New England Recruiting Report.
Coit averaged 30.6 points per game this season at Atlantic Cape Community College, leading the nation in scoring at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III level. Coit was named the Garden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year as he also recorded 5.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game for the Buccaneers.
Niederahuser comes to NIU from German club team Ehingen Urspring, where he has split time during the 2021-22 season between their youth team in the German NBBL and their top team in the German Pro A League. Recruited by a number of high-major programs, the 6-foot-10 Niederahuser also competed with the Swiss Under-18 National Team at the 2021 U18 European Challengers, where he averaged 10.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.
Plintauskas also joins the Huskies from top-level basketball in Europe as he played 17 games this past season with Kedainiai Nevezis in the LKL, the top men’s league in Lithuania. During the 2019-20 season, the 6-foot-4 Plintauskas played for Vilnius KM in the Lithuanian U18 League, where he averaged 11.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest while shooting 43 percent from three-point range.
“We are extremely excited to add these four players to our 2022 signing class,” said Burno. “Adding this group of talent to our core will really fortify what we have been able to establish in year one. We bring in talent, versatility, scoring, depth, and most importantly high character kids who will be valuable members of the NIU community. This class will, without a doubt, help us compete for MAC titles.”
The four spring signees join Xavier Amos (Chicago, Ill.) and David Coit (Princeton, N.J.), who signed with the Huskies in the fall.
Amos averaged 18 points, nine rebounds and four blocks per game while helping Whitney Young win the Chicago Public League title and finish as the Illinois Class 4A runner-up this season. The 6-foot-8 Amos was named to the Chicago Sun-Times All-State First Team, the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Class 4A All-State First Team and the Associated Press Illinois Class 4A All-State Second Team.
Nutter has spent the last two seasons at Clarendon College in Clarendon, Texas, where this past season he averaged 19.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-6 native of Newark. N.J. also averaged 2.8 assists per game and shot 53.4 percent from the field in 2021-22. During his first season at Clarendon in 2020-21, Nutter was the Western Junior College Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year while averaging 15.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, shooting 55.9 percent from the field.
Youngblood comes to NIU after spending two seasons at St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Conn. Originally from Yokohama, Japan, Youngblood averaged 15 points, five assists, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks per game this past season at St. Thomas More. The 6-foot-1 Youngblood was recruited by high-major schools and is the 16th-ranked player in New England by the New England Recruiting Report.
Coit averaged 30.6 points per game this season at Atlantic Cape Community College, leading the nation in scoring at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III level. Coit was named the Garden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year as he also recorded 5.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game for the Buccaneers.
Niederahuser comes to NIU from German club team Ehingen Urspring, where he has split time during the 2021-22 season between their youth team in the German NBBL and their top team in the German Pro A League. Recruited by a number of high-major programs, the 6-foot-10 Niederahuser also competed with the Swiss Under-18 National Team at the 2021 U18 European Challengers, where he averaged 10.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.
Plintauskas also joins the Huskies from top-level basketball in Europe as he played 17 games this past season with Kedainiai Nevezis in the LKL, the top men’s league in Lithuania. During the 2019-20 season, the 6-foot-4 Plintauskas played for Vilnius KM in the Lithuanian U18 League, where he averaged 11.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest while shooting 43 percent from three-point range.
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