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Saint Louis Basketball: Terrence Hargrove Jr. commitment shows progress for the Bilikens

By Holden Walter-Warner

ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 20: Saint Louis Billikens mascot cheers against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the second round of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Amway Center on March 20, 2014 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 20: Saint Louis Billikens mascot cheers against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the second round of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Amway Center on March 20, 2014 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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One of the top prospects from Illinois in the Class of 2019, Terrence Hargrove Jr. announced his commitment over the weekend. It’s big news for St. Loius Basketball.

Travis Ford needed time to turn around the Saint Louis Billikens. He took his biggest step in the right direction this weekend when Terrence Hargrove Jr. signed up for the squad.

The small forward from East St. Louis, Illinois announced his decision on Twitter over the weekend. Saint Louis was one of three programs to offer him a scholarship, the others being the Missouri Tigers and the Colorado Buffaloes.

Beating out power conference teams for a prospect isn’t just a badge of honor for a mid-major team like Saint Louis. It’s demonstrative of the fact that real progress is being made.

Ford clearly took a step backward – at least in prestige – when he went from Oklahoma State to Saint Louis. After eight years in Stillwater, he was joining a team that made two Sweet Sixteens in program history, the most recent coming in 1957.

Despite making the NCAA Tournament as recently as 2014, previous coach Jim Crews left Ford with a bare cupboard. The Billikens won exactly 11 games in consecutive seasons, leading to Crews’ firing in 2016.

Ford won a whopping 12 games in his first season in Saint Louis. But last year, the Billikens scored solid recruits, finished with a winning record, and nearly made the postseason.

It’s hard to deny that Saint Louis is headed in the right direction.

During his junior season in high school, Hargrove Jr. nearly averaged a double-double. He recorded 18.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, blocking 2.2 shots per contest to boot. The 6-6 forward may continue to grow.

247 Sports lists him as a Top-5 recruit in Illinois and one of the top 200 players in the Class of 2019.

With Rhode Island under new management, an opportunity may be opening up near the top of the Atlantic 10.

Next: 2018-19 Breakout Candidates

Travis Ford is poised to take it.

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