(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) – The Marquette University men’s basketball program has announced the signing of prep standouts Nigel James Jr. (Huntington, N.Y./Long Island Lutheran HS), Ian Miletic (Arlington Heights, Ill./Rolling Meadows HS), Michael Phillips II (Rolesville, N.C./GRACE Christian School) and Adrien Stevens (Potomac, Md./Bullis School) to an Athletics Aid Agreement, head coach Shaka Smart announced Wednesday morning.
The quartet will arrive on campus in the summer of 2025 with four seasons of eligibility and the class is ranked as high as 13th in the nation by 247Sports.com.
“Very, very excited about the four individuals that we’re adding to our program today, the four families they come from and excited about their passion for relationships, growth and victory,” Smart said. “There’s a compliment that they provide to our team, most importantly, and then also with each other. Anytime you bring in a class, you want them to fit with each other, but you also want them to fit the greater team and you base that in a lot of ways off of who you’re losing.”
James Jr. (6-0, 180) is rated as high as 90th nationally by 247Sports.com and competes under head coach John Buck at Long Island Lutheran High School. As a junior at LuHi, he averaged 11.9 points and 4.3 assists per game in the team’s 12 outings in the EYBL Scholastic League. He began his career at Cushing Academy and advanced to the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council title game, falling to current MU guard Tre Norman and Worcester Academy. James played on the EYBL circuit for Expressions Elite.
“Nigel brings speed, quickness, explosiveness and decision making,” Smart said. “He’s a point guard and knowing the ball is in his hands makes you feel good, knowing he’s going to create for others.
“It never hurts to have multiple guys on the floor who are very sure with the ball in their hands and can make good decisions,” Smart added. “Defensively, he can really be a pest. I’d love to see him and Sean (Jones) on the court together. It would be the smallest backcourt out there, but what I have learned over the years is that those types of guys, with that type of heart, more than make up for any lack of size. When guys like Nigel and Sean have toughness, grit, heart and a great mind, they really have a chance.”
Miletic (6-7, 180) is in his fourth season of varsity action at Rolling Meadows High School in suburban Chicago under head coach Kevin Katovich. Miletic (MILL-eh-tick) averaged 19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as a junior and was named the program’s most valuable player. He was an all-conference and all-area honoree in 2023-24 and also claimed all-state accolades. In his three-year tenure on varsity, the Mustangs are 29-1 in their division. He competed on the UAA circuit with the Illinois Wolves.
“Neill Berry did a great job early on evaluating Ian and it was really clear he was our type of guy,” Smart said. “He really, really cares about relationships and he’s one of the best leaders at that age that I’ve seen with his high school group.
“He’s really growing, on a great trajectory and serious about his growth,” Smart added. “He puts a lot of time and energy into his growth and he cares deeply about winning, so the fact that he’s aligned with those core values means a lot.”
Phillips II (6-6, 175) plays under head coach DeShannon Morris at GRACE Christian School and reclassified into the 2025 recruiting class. In 2023-24, he averaged 15.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest and helped the Eagles to a 27-8 overall record and the league title. He was named All-Capital City Conference and was named the school’s most outstanding athlete. As a sophomore, he contributed 16.2 points per contest and in the last two years, the Eagles are 15-1 in conference play. He competed on the EYBL circuit for Boo Williams and was named the top player at the 2024 EYBL event held in St. Louis.
“Michael can shoot it from deep,” Smart said. “He can really rise up and comes off screens off the ball as well as any young player that I have seen.
“He has great length and blocks a lot of shots,” Smart added. “He likes playing defense, which is important and is also very, very smart in terms of his IQ for the game. He has a way of knowing when things are important and learning and locking in on those things, on and off the court.”
Stevens (6-4, 195) is ranked as the 84th-best player in the country by 247Sports.com and has played at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland under head coach Bruce Kelley since his sophomore season. Stevens helped the Bulldogs to back-to-back Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) regular season and tournament titles and scored a team-high 14 points in the championship matchup as a junior, earning conference player of the year accolades in the process. He was named All-IAC and first team all-metro by the Washington Post after averaging 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He played on the UAA circuit for WeR1.
“Adrien’s a lot like Stevie (Mitchell) as a person,” Smart said. “Incredible student, incredible leader. Very, very thoughtful, very, very smart. He cares about his teammates. He’s got toughness, similar to Stevie. It’s not like we were saying, hey, we’ve got to find a Stevie clone, but if we had said that, this is about as close as you’re going to get, Adrien’s a little bit bigger, a little bit thicker, probably even more physical at that age.
“He’s a guy who can play either guard position,” Smart added. “He’s good handling the ball, he can play the pick and roll and he can shoot the ball. He’s very good on the catch and shoot and defensively, he’s something else.”
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