By ISU Sports Information
Junior college transfer William Tinsley has committed to continue his basketball and academic career at Illinois State, beginning in 2017-18 as a junior, by signing a National Letter of Intent (NLI), ISU head coach Dan Muller announced Wednesday. Tinsley is a 6-foot-6, 185-pound guard from Colfax, Illinois, who is a sophomore at Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois.
“We are very excited to have another student-athlete from the state of Illinois entering our program,” Muller said. “William is a local kid from Colfax who wanted to play for the Redbirds since he was a kid. We look forward to helping William reach his full potential on and off the court as he works toward a degree and wears the red and white. William is a very skilled shooter with great length and athleticism that will give him the opportunity to play a valuable role in our program over the next two years. William was mentored by longtime Ridgeview High School head coach Rodney Kellar and has continued to improve under the direction of the Lake Land coaching staff.”
Tinsley averaged 15.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 27 contests for Lake Land College as a freshman last season. He shot 42.7 percent from the field, 38.9 percent on 3-pointers and 73.7 percent at the free throw line for the Lakers.
As a senior at Ridgeview High School, Tinsley made 96 3-pointers and helped the Mustangs to a third-place finish in the 2014 Class 1A State Tournament. For his efforts, Tinsley earned several accolades: AP All-State, IBCA All-State, Pantagraph All-Area First Team, unanimous Heart of Illinois Conference first-team selection.
While Tinsley begins his sophomore season at Lake Land College, the Redbirds are set to tip off the 2016-17 season Friday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. CT at Murray State, live on the Ohio Valley Conference Digital Network.
