Lewis recruiting haul just got bigger

By Joe Henricksen

While everyone is caught up in Division I recruiting, coach Scott Trost of Lewis University is putting together an absolutely terrific recruiting class at the Division II level. The Hoops Report has learned that Stagg big man Marty Strus has committed to Lewis.

Strus is a terrific college prospect whose best basketball is clearly ahead of him. He battled a case of mono earlier in the season and lost weight and strength in dealing with the setback. But you don’t find 6-9 kids with hands, a soft touch around the basket and who can run the floor like Strus can this late in the recruiting game — especially at the Division II level. Strus joins a class that already includes Sandburg’s 6-8 Matt Toth and Wheeling point guard Chris McClellan. Add guard Mike Robinson, who transferred in from Eastern Illinois at the semester after making an early impact in his career in Charleston, and the future is awfully bright at Lewis.

McClellan is a point guard who sees the floor, can shoot it, get to the basket and never misses a free throw (over 90 percent from the line). And the Hoops Report has been singing the praises of Toth since last summer, calling him the most underrated player in the state. Toth, who signed with Lewis last fall, has done nothing to disappoint as he’s been an absolute monster over the past two months of the season, putting up huge double-doubles. In this day where big men are at such a premium, getting a combination of Strus and Toth who have size and ability is pretty remarkable for a Division II school and a credit to Trost.