NIU basketball signs third player from Tennessee

Northern Illinois head men's basketball coach Ricardo Patton's roots are in the state of Tennessee, and he continues to scour the Volunteer State for young talent.

The latest Tennessee native to join the program is Memphis native Nate Rucker, who signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball and continue his education at Northern Illinois Wednesday.

Rucker, who verbally committed to the Huskies last month, became the third player hailing from the state of Tennessee to move onto DeKalb in the Ricardo Patton era. He joins senior forward and Memphis native Najul Ervin, and freshman guard Antone Christian, who is a native of Nashville.

Rucker, a 6-foot-6, 245-pound center from Melrose High School in Memphis, is a three-year letterwinner for the Golden Wildcats. He averaged 12.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game during his junior season, leading Melrose to a berth in the regional championships.

Rucker announced his intention to attend NIU during a press conference at Melrose High School Wednesday morning. He was also recruited by Memphis, East Tennessee State, Middle Tennessee State, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech, among others.

"With Nate Rucker, we signed a kid that is going to really help our program over the next four years," said Patton, who grew up in Nashville. "He's a powerful guy that will make an immediate impact; he's explosive off the floor, can score and defend around the basket, and I think will be a great player in this league."