Greg Louis commits to Penn (updated)

Penn received a verbal commitment from its first recruit — Greg Louis, a 6-foot-6 power forward out of William T. Dwyer high school in south Florida, told The Daily Pennsylvanian Tuesday he would be coming to Penn for his college career.

"I wanted to go somewhere where I could make the most of all my opportunities," he said. Louis was deciding between Penn and Tulane, but ultimately chose Penn for it's Ivy League academics and basketball tradition.

"I’ve been thinking about it for a while, I was leaning toward Penn for a few weeks. I made my decision about a week ago."

Louis added he was primarily contacted by assistant men's basketball coach Mike Martin, who told Louis he would be a benefit to the program, Louis said.

"Penn is an easy school to sell. There’s a lot of great things going on in Philadelphia, a lot of great things going on at the university," he said. "They’re really enthusiastic about picking up from past season, so they're doing all they can to improve and be competitive."

Louis said he originally hadn't spoken to head coach Jerome Allen very much. "He has a different way of approaching players," the high school senior said. Adding that despite the initial distance from Allen, "it was obvious that he wanted me to come."

Louis is Penn's first recruiting commitment in what has so far been a quiet pre-season for the Quakers. Penn was the last Ivy League school to have a reported verbal commitment. Rated an 88 by ESPN, the power forward will look to fill the shoes of a graduating class that includes forwards and captains Jack Eggleston and Conor Turley, as well as Andreas Schreiber and Zack Gordon.

"I can definitely bring a lot of energy to the team, a great attitude, I work hard," Louis said of his future contribution to the program, "I’m not really big on talking. I’ll show you next year," he said.

"I’m just happy that I’m secure and I know where I’m going to school, and a great school at that."

UPDATE: for the full story, see thedp.com