By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team recently announced the signing of freshman transfer Corey Tillery, the third member of the Golden Eagles' 2017 signing class.
The 6-foot guard comes to Tech with three years of eligibility after spending the past season at Armstrong State University. Tillery will be immediately eligible for the 2017-18 season following his transfer from the Division II program.
"I chose Tennessee Tech because the coaching staff did a great job in showing me what the school and program had to offer," Tillery explained. "I liked the fact that there is a lot of support from the community. Also, I never felt pressured by the coaching staff and that made me comfortable with my decision."
Named the Peach Belt Conference's Freshman of the Year and to the All-PBC Second Team, Tillery led the Pirates and ranked fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game on 44.3 percent shooting. His team-best 42.7 percent shooting touch from beyond the arc came on an incredible 227 attempts. He sunk 3.5 3-pointers per game, the best mark in the PBC.
"Any time you can sign a guy that is an elite-level shooter, I think you have to do that," TTU head coach Steve Payne said. "Corey has proven to be a top-level shooter. He's very quick and smart. He is not the most physically imposing guy as far as size goes, but he has a good head on his shoulders and is a lights-out shooter."
Tillery earned PBC Player of the Week honors in late January, largely because of his career performance against Augusta. In the Jan. 25 contest, he knocked down a whopping 10-of-13 attempts from downtown on his way to a season-high 36 points. This came after a 34-point showing with eight made triples at Lander.
"Next year, I plan to make an impact right away," Tillery said. "I can bring more scoring, 3-point shooting and ball handling to the backcourt, which I think will definitely help the team improve offensively."
In 28 games, Tillery scored in double figures 26 times, including 20 or more points in 11 contests. He also led the Pirates in free throw percentage with a mark of .860. The incoming sophomore averaged 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals over 34.5 minutes per game.
"When he takes the floor, you have to account for him," Payne explained. "Defenses have to know where he is at, and if they don't, he will make them pay for it. That's always a benefit. He opens the floor for other guys to drive. He can open up space for guys like Mason [Ramsey] and Mike [Micaiah Henry] in the post. Even if he doesn't score, he will allow other people to score on the offensive end."
With the majority of his collegiate career still ahead, Tillery comes to Tech excited about the new start while Payne is excited about the potential impact of the newest Golden Eagle.
"Next season, I am looking forward to playing in a new conference in front of different people," Tillery expressed. "I am blessed to have this opportunity and I look forward to showing the world what Tennessee Tech basketball is made of."
"We're looking forward to him having a great career over the next three years," Payne added. "He is another great young player to join our program and I think he will have some huge games next year. We expect he will be one of the better shooters in the country and we're excited about what he brings to the table."
Photo by TTU Photo Services
