May 6, 2009

ROCHESTER, Mich. - Ledrick Eackles has signed a National Letter of Intent to play men's basketball at Oakland University, announced head coach Greg Kampe on Wednesday. Eackles, a native of Zachary, La., is a 6 foot, 2 inch guard that chose OU over Nebraska, Southern Mississippi, East Carolina, UAB and Western Kentucky.

"This is a major recruiting coup for us," said Kampe. "We recruited a kid that lives in a different part of the country, who was recruited and offered by BCS and Conference USA schools, and we won the battle. That is a first for us.

"We have advanced far enough that our name is recognizable and meaningful in Louisiana, Georgia and the Virginia area. We were able to venture out away from Michigan, away from our comfort zone of recruiting, and land a young man who is highly-touted, and highly-recruited, which is just a big step for us in the recruiting process."

Eackles is rated 83 (High Major Prospect) on ESPN.com recruiting and has tremendous athleticism and can be a defensive stopper for the Golden Grizzlies. He led Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.) to a national runner-up finish in the preparatory school national championships, tallying 20 points in the title game and was named to the All-Tournament second team.

"He plays above the rim at just over 6 feet tall, and can shoot the three," said Kampe. "The thing we like the most about him, is not only is he an athlete and we think he can shoot it, he can be a lock down defender."

The son of former NBA player Ledell Eackles (1988-98), Ledrick was an all-state first team selection in the state of Louisiana at Zachary High School before attending Hargrave Military Academy. He averaged 12 points per game at Hargrave on a team that featured 11 Division I players.

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