COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Judson Dillard, a 6-foot-4 wing player
from Riverdale (Ga.) High School has signed a national letter of
intent to play at Tennessee Tech University, seventh-year coach
Mike Sutton announced today.
The third signee for the Golden Eagles, Sutton compares Dillard to
recent Tech standouts Anthony Fisher and Keyon Boyd.
"Jud is a big, athletic wing player,” Sutton said.
“He’s similar to Anthony and Keyon, and they were
awfully good players for us. He’s young with a lot of
skills.
“He can be a player who fits in at multiple
positions,” Sutton said. “He has great bounce and
length, and he has played all of the perimeter positions. He has
grown three inches in the past year or so, and we think he has a
tremendous ‘up’ side.”
Dillard is the second player from Riverdale added to the Golden
Eagle roster this year, joining November signee Terrell Barnes.
Sutton’s staff also signed Livingston Academy standout Chase
Dunn.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to play at
Tennessee Tech,” Dillard said. “I can’t wait to
get there and get to work.”
After playing his first three high school seasons at Mt. Zion
(Ga.) High School, Dillard finished his prep career at Riverdale
under coach Derrick Powell where he was reunited with several
players he had teamed with in middle school.
“Jud was a real pleasant addition to our team, a really
welcome addition,” Powell said. “He was a two-three
man, and he really glued us together. He can handle the ball, take
it the basket, finish around the basket.
“He could play any position, from point guard to power
forward,” Powell said. “He was a point guard for three
years and then he grew three inches, and played the wing.
He’s just a versatile player. He has guard skills but
he’s able to go into the lane and create.”
Last season at Riverdale High School, Riverdale finished the year
20-9, placing third in the region and reaching the Sweet 16 of the
state tournament. The team took first place at the Morgan County
Christmas Tournament and Dillard was named the tourney MVP.
Dillard led Riverdale in both scoring and rebounds, averaged 22
points and eight rebounds per game, notching a career-high 49
points in one contest. He earned first-team all-region honors, and
was also named first-team All-Southern Crescent. On his team, he
captured the Best Offensive Player Award.
“Jud is an extremely hard-working kid,” Powell said.
“He was always the last player to leave practice, the first
player to show up for the game. He gave 100 percent all the time,
on both offense and defense. He’s a high-energy kid and he
really plays hard on both ends of the floor.”
In addition to adding three inches to his frame in the past
year-and-a-half, Powell said Dillard has also worked hard in the
weight room to develop his strength.
After his first three prep seasons at Mt. Zion, Powell says the
chance to play his senior season at Riverdale brought Dillard back
together with some long-time friends.
“He went to middle school with some of the guys who were
playing here,” Powell said. “They played against each
other some years, and he was able to rejoin some of the guys he
grew up with when he came to Riverdale.”
Judson is the son of Terrell Dillard and Betty Thomas of
Riverdale, located just south of Atlanta. He plans to enroll in
general curriculum when he arrives on the Tech campus.