May 21, 2010
DAVIS, Calif. - The UC Davis men's basketball program has signed Tyler Les to a National Letter of Intent, announced head coach Gary Stewart. Les, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound sharp-shooting guard from Peoria, Ill., is the son of former Sacramento King and current Bradley head coach Jim Les. He joins an already impressive list of fall recruits who will join the Aggies beginning with the 2010-11 season.
Les shot 51 percent from beyond the arc during his career at Peoria Notre Dame High School while averaging 14.0 ppg. as a senior. At one point, Les shot a blazing 75 percent from three-point range during a 15-game stretch this past season. He was an All-Conference selection in the Mid-State 6 Conference and also received All-State Honorable Mention. The Peoria Journal Star named Les to its All-Area Team.
"Tyler is an excellent fit for our basketball program and university, said Stewart. "It goes without saying he is an elite shooter, and his shooting prowess stretches the defense and creates spacing challenges. That will make it much more difficult to defend us in the half court."
Les won the Illinois 3A three-point championship and also captured a long-range shooting title at the Kiwanis Senior Boys Invitational. Additionally, he was selected to participate in the prestigious Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) All-Star game.
"What excites us the most about Tyler is that he is not a one dimensional player," added Stewart. "He is a high-character person who is all about winning. Tyler possesses innate leadership abilities and great work ethic. He turned down numerous scholarship opportunities to come to UC Davis. We feel very fortunate to get him."
Les was the team captain of the Irish as a senior and helped lead the team to a top-10 ranking in Illinois. It was the second team Les played on during his career that was ranked as high.
"Tyler's best basketball is ahead of him. He has the best work ethic I've ever seen in the area," said Peoria Notre Dame head coach Eddie Mathews. "Tyler will be a better college player than he was a high school player. He had the respect of every team in the league, where the best defender guarded him. UC Davis is getting a good one in Tyler Les."
Les joins three future Aggies who committed to the program in the fall. They include Mike Kurtz (C, 7-0, 200, Roseville, Calif./Woodcreek HS), Josh Ritchart (F, 6-9, 215, Auburn, Calif./ Forest Lake Christian School) and Alex Tiffin (F, 6-9, 210, Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks Calif.). The elite group of newcomers has led ESPNU to rank the class among the top-10 in the nation among mid-major programs.
