Coach Steve Wojciechowski’s first full recruiting class took another step forward on Friday afternoon when guard Haanif Cheatham, the No. 61 ranked recruit in the 2015 class, chose Marquette over Cal and Georgetown Friday afternoon in a press conference at his high school.
At 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds, Cheatham possesses a nice mix of size and athleticism for a perimeter player.
Here is what Rob Harrington of Scout.com had to say in July:
He has become stronger and along with that has cultivated a more aggressive and physical slashing style. A southpaw, he possesses nimble feet and finishes well on the move via short bankers and fullspeed baseline drives. His jump shot also is workable to 22 feet, and his ball skills are excellent for wing forward and at least adequate for shooting guard.
Cheatham saw a big rise in his stock on the 247Sports composite rankings this summer, going from No 98 to No. 63 after some impressive performances on the AAU summer circuit. The Florida native averaged 16.9 points in 16 games on 52.2 percent shooting to lead the way for Nike Team Florida.
Here is a highlight video from his performance at the Nike Global Challenge this summer.
As a junior at Pembroke Pines Charter in Florida, Cheatham proved to have a diverse skill set, averaging 26.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He finished with four triple-doubles on the season, culminating with the 2013-14 Florida Dairy Farmer’s Class 6A Player of the Year being awarded to him.
Wojo and the coaching staff made a good impression with Cheatham and his mom during his official visit to campus on Aug. 29, with Racine Journal Times columnist Gery Woelfel tweeting that fellow 2015 commits Nick Noskowiak and Matt Heldt were there to welcome him.
Good visit here at MU, Blessed too be here. Great time with great people!! pic.twitter.com/g7g0aaEq9w
— Haanif Cheatham (@H22_Cheatham) August 29, 2014
When asked last summer what would factor into his decision making in 2013, he told 247Sports: “Most likely the education [and] the atmosphere I’m in. I love when a school is really big on [their] basketball team [and] the city shows much love [to] the team, as well.”
If that was indeed one of his deciding factors, it is no wonder why Marquette fit the mold.
Cheatham is the third top-100 2015 recruit to commit to Wojo, following Noskowiak (No. 68) and Heldt (No. 94).
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