ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – With the graduation of an eight-man senior class that led Augustana to a 95-23 record, three straight NCAA Division III Tournament appearances and back-to-back CCIW regular season and tournament titles, Coach Grey Giovanine and his staff went looking for an influx of talent to compliment next year's returnees. As a result, the Vikings have brought in a nine-player recruiting class that combines size and skill and should leave the program in good stead for the near future.
 
The group consists of seven 2016 high school graduates and two transfers. It includes players from three states, a pair of Quad-City products and a total of six athletes from a wide cross section of the state of Illinois. 
 
"As this group matures they should be able to help us stay at the top of the CCIW and continue to compete for national honors during their careers," said Giovanine. "I think the Augustana College and Quad Cities communities will enjoy watching this class develop. I expect them to be outstanding representatives of Augustana and our basketball program."
 
Brett Benning, a 6' 6", 200-pound wing, joins the Vikings after playing his freshman season at Division II University of Southern Indiana. At Dakota High School in Dakota, Illinois, he was a two-time consensus All-State selection, earning first team honors from both the Associated Press and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association as a senior in 2013-14. He was one of the leading scorers in the state that year with an average of 27.8 points per game and grabbed 10 rebounds per contest as well. As a junior, Benning averaged 22 points and 10.2 rebounds per game and was named to the AP Class 1A All-State second team and to the IBCA's Class 1A/2A third team. He will have three years of eligibility remaining at Augustana.
 
"Brett is an extremely versatile player who was an elite scorer, but also showed his ability to be a complete player by playing both ends of the floor at a very high level," said Brian Benning, Brett's coach through his junior season. "He has a great understanding of the game and a high basketball IQ."
 
Austin Elledge, a 6' 1", 165-pound guard, was a four-year starter and two-time first team All-Mississippi Valley Conference performer at Highland High School in Highland, Illinois. He finished his career with 1,283 points and 167 three-point field goals and led the Bulldogs in scoring, steals and blocked shots during both his junior and senior seasons. He averaged 15.7 points per game this year on .467 shooting from the field, including .356 from three-point range. He added four rebounds, three assists and two steals per game and earned All-Area honorable mention from the Belleville News-Democrat. Elledge averaged 15.7 points per game as a junior, shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc and 86 percent from the free throw line.
 
Matt Elledge, his father and head coach says, "Austin got his first varsity start midway through his freshmen year of high school. He has the ability to distribute the basketball and is a 'gym rat' and a great competitor."
 
Blake Janssen is a 6' 7", 250-pound post player from Eastland High School in Lanark, Illinois. He was a four-year letter winner who helped the Cougars to a pair of IHSA elite eight appearances and twice earned All-Area honorable mention from Sauk Valley Media. As a senior, Janssen averaged eight points, 10 rebounds, two blocked shots and two assists a game. Eastland Coach Tony Dunlap called Janssen "an integral part of our program for the last three years."
 
Sam Koeppel, a 6' 6", 210-pound forward from Limestone High School in Bartonville, Illinois, was a first team All-Mid-Illini Conference selection and a first team Peoria Journal Star Large School All-Area pick this year. He averaged 13.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and three blocked shots per game for the Rockets, shooting .524 from the field. The only player in the Peoria area to average a double-double, he earned Class 3A/4A All-State special mention from the IBCA and was named to all-tournament teams at Pekin and Galesburg. As a junior, Koeppel averaged 14 points and 10 boards a game and earned second team all-conference and third team all-area recognition.
 
Limestone Coach Eddie Mathews said, "Sam has a blue collar work ethic and plays with no fear. He's got a nose for the ball that has resulted in a lot of rebounds."
 
Micah Martin, a 6' 9½", 263-pound center, joins the Vikings from Iowa City High School in Iowa City, Iowa. He was a first team All-Mississippi Valley Conference and All-Sub-State selection this year and was chosen to play in the Eastern Iowa All-Star Game. Martin, a nominee for McDonald's All-American, led the Little Hawks in scoring (11.1 ppg), rebounding (7.2 rpg) and field goal percentage (.636) as a senior. He averaged 7.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game as a junior and shot 61 percent from the field.  He also competes in track & field at City High and has a current best of 153' 5" in the discus.
 
"Micah helped Iowa City High to its first conference championship since 2008," said City High Coach Don Showalter. "He spent countless hours in the gym to develop his game last summer and has a tremendous upside."
 
Connor McCord, a 6' 7", 205-pound forward from Legend High School in Parker, Colorado, earned All-Continental League honorable mention as a member of one of the top teams in the state this year. He averaged 7.1 points and 3.3 rebounds, shot .577 from the field and .814 from the free throw line and was the Titans' leading shot blocker. McCord was selected to play in the Rocky Mountain Fall Showcase in October of 2015. Legend Coach Kevin Boley calls Connor "a long athletic post player that led our team in blocked shots and dunks."
 
Andy McLaughlin, a 6' 7", 240-pound forward-center from Moline High School in Moline, Illinois, was the leading scorer in the Western Big 6 Conference this year with an average of 20.4 points per game. Overall, he averaged 18.6 points per contest on 58 percent shooting from the field and 77 percent from the foul line. He also grabbed 6.0 rebounds per game for the Maroons. He was a first team All-Western Big 6 Conference selection and was named a first team Area All-Star by the Dispatch/Argus and to the Quad-City Times All-Metro first team. McLaughlin also earned All-State honorable mention from the Associated Press and Champaign News-Gazette. Rock Island High School Head Coach Thom Sigel called him "a force in the paint this year in the Western Big 6."
 
Lucas Simon, a 6' 5", 165-pound point guard from Notre Dame College Prep in Niles, Illinois, was a four-year letter winner and three-year starter for the Dons. As a senior, he was a team captain and MVP for a 25-7 Notre Dame outfit. In addition, he was an All-East Suburban Catholic Conference selection, earned Pioneer Press All-Area honorable mention and was named MVP of the Wheeling Hardwood Classic. Simon averaged eight points and three rebounds per game this year and led Notre Dame in assists for the third consecutive season with an average of five per contest.
 
"Lucas was a three-year starter at Notre Dame," said Dons Coach Tom Les. "The past two seasons have been the best back-to-back years in Notre Dame Basketball history and Lucas was a major contributor to that success."
 
Roman Youngblut, a 6' 8", 200-pound forward from Assumption High School in Davenport, Iowa, twice earned All-Mississippi Athletic Conference recognition. As a senior in 2014-15, Youngblut averaged 10.3 points and led the Knights in rebounding at 8.5 per game and in blocked shots at 2.1 per contest. He was named to the All-MAC second team and earned Quad-City Times All-Metro honorable mention. Following the season, he was selected to play in the Iowa-Illinois Senior Showcase and the Eastern Iowa All-Star Game. As a junior, he averaged 9.8 points on 58 percent shooting from the field and led Assumption in rebounding (6.6 rpg) and blocked shots (2.2 bpg). Youngblut spent his freshman year of college at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa and will have four years of eligibility remaining at Augustana.
 
Knights Coach Andy Craig said of Youngblut, "Roman was an essential part of the success of our program throughout his four years at Assumption and was a great teammate and a joy to coach.  He is a competitor and loves the game."