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Tillotson's offer sheet approaching double digits; Nicholas weighing his options


Turns out one offer was all it took to kick start the recruiting race for Austin Tillotson.

Two months after Tillotson received his first Division I scholarship offer -- from Delaware -- interest in Eastern York's rising senior point guard has ballooned. Tillotson said Thursday his list of offers has grown to "nine or ten," and includes mid-majors like Bucknell, Vermont, Monmouth and Quinnipiac.

"Every time a school calls they ask who offered you," Tillotson said. "So that (first offer) really helps me. Once a school offers you, it lets everybody else know that they're serious."

Of the schools he listed, Tillotson has already visited Delaware and Monmouth. He plans to visit Bucknell on Monday, and a trip to Vermont in the near future is also possible.

Right now, the 5-foot-11 guard seems particularly enamored by Monmouth, a relatively small college (4,500 undergraduate) located in West Long Branch, N.J.

"Everything seems really perfect there," said Tillotson, a first-team all-state selection last year for the Golden Knights (31-1). "Right now I'm leaning towards there, but everybody says Bucknell is great, so maybe that will catch my eye."

Monmouth opened a brand-new, $57-million arena last summer, and Tillotson also feels the school could offer him a better chance to be an impact player right away. The Hawks, who play in the Northeast Conference, finished 12-19 last season.

"I'm scared of going somewhere in the (Colonial Athletic Association) and then going in there and just being another player and maybe having to wait a year to get on the floor," Tillotson said.

Vermont could also prove an intriguing possibility for Tillotson. Dallastown's standout shooting guard Four McGlynn verbally committed to Vermont in mid-July, and McGlynn and Tillotson have played together on AAU teams over the years.

"They think he and I would make a real nice backcourt going forward," Tillotson said.

Tillotson said he'd ideally like to make a commitment before the school year starts.

"I definitely don't want to still go into the basketball season trying to figure everything out and also having to focus on the season I have," Tillotson said. "I want to get that off my shoulders before the season starts."

Nicholas weighing options

Tillotson's running mate, rising senior wing Andrew Nicholas, is currently weighing scholarship offers from several mid-level Division I schools, according to his AAU coach, Tony Sagona.

Nicholas had said last month he was primarily interested in two schools: Penn State and St. Joseph's. Those schools are no longer in the mix according to Sagona, who coaches the Jersey Shore Warriors team Nicholas and Tillotson play on.

Sagona said Nicholas has scholarship offers from schools like Siena, Rhode Island, Fordham, Iona, Quinnipiac and Monmouth.