The latest showing from Lathan Sommerville certainly underscores that the Rutgers basketball commit is a dominant post player.
Sommerville, a four-star center at Richwoods High School (Peoria, Illinois), scored 30 points and had 11 rebounds in a playoff win over top-seeded Harvey Thornton. He signed with Rutgers in December.
ESPN ranks him as the No. 84 recruit in the nation. In the On3 Industry Rankings, he is a four-star and the No. 20 power forward in the 2024 recruiting class.
At 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds, Sommerville has tremendous size to play power forward or center at the next level. But it is his footwork and agility that are impressive for his size.
As is his ability to shoot from distance. Sommerville has some very nice range that complements his post moves. He is strong in the post and requires a double-team at the high school level.
He can also drive to the basket, squaring up at the key and dribbling before making his move. Rutgers is getting a player whose handle is impressive for a power forward.
Defensively, he crashes the boards effectively. He challenges the ball and can alter shots. He fits in perfectly to Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell’s system.
[lawrence-related id=35948,35933]
Richwoods is going to state.
Knights knock off No. 1 Harvey Thornton, 58-52
Lathan Sommerville scores 30 with 11 rebounds for the Knights#pjspreps pic.twitter.com/qFPCBzgbdl
— Adam Duvall (@AdamDuvall) March 5, 2024
A part of the vaunted 2024 class brought in by Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell, Sommerville is one of three blue-chip recruits who are nationally ranked.
The class is led by consensus five-star recruits [autotag]Ace Bailey[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Harper[/autotag]. Bailey was recently named the No. 1 player in the nation by USA TODAY High School Sports.
As for Sommerville, his performance helped propel Richwoods into the semifinals of the Illinois Class 3A tournament.
Scroll down and check out the best photos of four-star forward and Rutgers basketball commit (and signee) Lathan Sommerville from this season!