Men's Basketball

November 29, 2007

Saint Michael's Signs Fourth Minnesota Man In Program History To Letter Of Intent


O'Shea announces signing of Minnesotan Tyler Schilling

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact: Will Rothermel

Phone: (802)-654-2929

COLCHESTER, Vt. - Saint Michael's men's basketball announced on Wednesday the signing of Minnesota-native Tyler Schilling (Excelsior, Minn.) out of Minnetonka High School. He is the second player from Minnesota to sign with the Purple Knights in as many years after Burnsville's Nate Birr signed a year ago. Schilling, a 6-4 guard, is the first member of the class of 2012 to sign with Saint Michael's thus far.

Schilling prepares for Saint Michael's having had an already stellar career at a Top-25 High School program in Minnetonka High School under Head Coach John Hedstrom. Schilling also played in the Howard Pulley AAU system under Head Coach Renee Pulley-the same program Birr played in during his grade school years. The fundamentally sound wingman averaged 11 points and seven rebounds per game as a junior at Minnetonka and was named all-conference honorable mention, helping his team to an 18-10 finish. Though his ability to finish has made him one of the team's leading scorers, his defensive presence and intangible qualities set him apart Coach Hedstrom says.

"He is always asked to guard the opponent's best offensive player -- he is an exceptionally active defender. He runs the floor as well as any player I have coached and also finishes very well."

Throughout his high school and AAU career, Schilling has proven to possess the qualities any coach would fall in love with.

"He does the little things that make the difference and often go unnoticed by the common fan; setting picks, rebounding, making simple plays," Hedstrom remarked on Schilling's skill-set as an all-around player.

"Off the court, Tyler is a dedicated student and honest young man," Hedstrom added. "He has always been a very mature young man who goes about his work without the need for recognition."

Eleventh year Head Coach Tom O'Shea is also optimistic and believes Schilling will make an instant impact when he sets foot on campus in the fall of 2008.

"Offensively, he can score in a variety of ways as he moves extremely well," O'Shea said of the fourth Minnesotan to sign with the Purple Knights in program history. "We will look for him to step in and contribute immediately with the skill package he brings to the floor. He is extremely versatile with a high energy level at both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. His ability to rebound will set him apart from many guards in the Northeast-10 Conference."

Coming from one of the toughest high school conferences in Minnesota, Schilling set a school record for field goal percentage in his junior year, converting 63-percent of his shots. Before coming to Saint Michael's, Schilling will play his final year as Minnetonka High School, which is currently ranked 24th in the country and picked as the preseason favorite to take home the state title in Minnesota.

"Saint Michael's seemed like the perfect fit because of the community support, student interaction and excellent basketball program-starting with the coaching staff," Schilling said of his decision to sign with Saint Michael's.

In this year's Minnesota pre-seasons poll, Schilling was also picked as one of the 'Top-100' players in the state. Tyler also has a brother, Shane, who graduated in 1999 as the AP high school basketball 'Player of the Year' in Minnesota and all-time leading scorer in Minnetonka school history (1,882), played for two years at the University of Minnesota before transferring to California Polytechnic State University.

##PURPLE KNIGHTS###