Alex Kline @TheRecruitScoop 1h1 hour ago
2017 Findlay Prep (NV) forward Donnie Tillman has received an offer from Marquette, reports @PrepHoopsMI.
Donnie Tillman: From The Motor City to Sin City
By Branden Hunter - April 8, 2015
Las Vegas is a popular tourist destination for adults all over the country, for a number of reasons. But did you know that it is also a place where young men take a gamble as well, trying to pursue their high school basketball dreams?
That’s what 15-year-old Donnie Tillman did last year. Then, a 6-foot-6 freshman at Detroit Cass Tech, he left an already great institution in the Motor City, for another one in Sin City, Findlay Prep.
A well-known prep school just outside of Las Vegas, in Henderson, Nevada, Findlay Prep has one of the top high school basketball programs in all the land. Seven NBA players since 2010, 41 Division I players, and 23 games on ESPN’s family of networks since April of 2009 help back-up that claim. Despite all of that, Tillman was still uncertain about his move to Las Vegas.
“Me, my mom, my sister, and my auntie drove down here together, and it was very hard, especially with my mother’s health problems,” Tillman said of his 2,000 mile journey from Detroit to Las Vegas. “For the rest of my family and friends, I miss them a lot actually, but I’m trying to make it, so there were things I had to give up.
“I questioned it at first, but now I’m definitely staying at Findlay. I see a bright future here for me.”
Findlay Prep went 29-3 this season, with Tillman averaging 5.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Those may not seem like great numbers for one of the top basketball players in his class, but remember, the Pilots have ten more players on their roster who are high-caliber just like Tillman. The competition level at Findlay Prep was arguably his biggest test, playing with and against some of the top players in the country, after not seeing anything remotely close to it on a high school team back home. But Tillman handled it like a champ, and made the best of his first year at his new school.
“It was very hard, especially adjusting to the level of play, and practice,” Tillman said of his first year at Findlay Prep. “But I did things a lot sophomores don’t do at all, and I’m a thousand times better.
“It was amazing playing with so many Division I players, because everyone was really good, and in the practices you couldn’t slack off. You had to be on top of your game 24/7, and it pushed me and my teammates to be better.”
Findlay Prep has provided Tillman with so many basketball opportunities that he couldn’t have received in Detroit. He recently played on ESPN over the weekend with his teammates, in a loss to Montverde Academy, and No.1 player in the country, Ben Simmons. Traveling the country to play basketball, and high level of competition they played night in and night out is Tillman’s favorite perk of being at Findlay Prep, and said once he experienced all of that, it exceeded all of his expectations.
And when I say Findlay Prep is not your average school, it’s not.
“Findlay is on a different level than most prep schools,” said Tillman. “One thing people notice is all of our Nike gear, almost nine pairs of shoes, custom Kobe’s ever year, the jogging fits and practice stuff. It’s like a college here. We have 24/7 gym access, we live in team houses, a chef that makes dinner everyday, and we get national attention here.
“Losing to Montverde was a tough loss, but it was so intense. That was the first time I had ever been shook up on the court, but it was a great first experience.”
But just because Tillman lives in Las Vegas now, doesn’t mean he’s hitting the strip everyday. In fact, he said he only goes there to eat at the buffet there. Other than that, he’s basically living the life of a college student-athlete, who just happens to be 15.
“Since I barely know people out here, I can’t go out like a couple of my teammates,” he said. “It’s very boring here. You wake up, go to school, practice, then go home to eat and sleep, and repeat. But it’s all worth it. There is nothing to distract us, and we all are very focused.”
One person that played a huge roll in Tillman’s adjustment to his new home was the guy that lured him out west. Findlay Prep head coach Andy Johnson. Tillman may not have listened to what Johnson was saying in the beginning, but he is a believer in him now.
“He is a great coach, and he really cares for you on and off the court,” Tillman said of Johnson. “He only want the best for me, and he helped make that transition into being a young man, and taking responsibility of my actions and my future.
“Coach Johnson told me it was going to be a lot of hard work, but I thought he was just saying that,” Tillman said on joining the Findlay Prep program. “I thought wrong. Besides that, Findlay is a great place to live, good food, we and get to play across the country. I just didn’t know Findlay had a great history, but yes, Findlay exceeded all of my expectations.”
Tillman doesn’t have this doubts anymore about his new school, and is already looking forward to next season. The summer will also be big for him with AAU basketball, as he looks to add to list of college scholarships, which is already at six, with San Diego State, UTEP, UNLV, Boston College, Cleveland State and Iowa State. Hometown teams, Michigan and Michigan State, and Oregon and Ohio State have also shown interest in Tillman.
“I should be adding more offers over the summer,” said Tillman. “But after that, of course I look to return to Findlay. I’m one of the leaders, or returners as we are called here, so I’m playing a bigger role for Findlay’s success next year.”
