BLOOMINGTON - Aaron Garriott had five scholarship offers in hand as he visited Southern Illinois-Edwardsville this past weekend. The Central Catholic High School senior guard could afford to be selective.

Yet, after a few hours with first-year SIU-Edwardsville coach Lennox Forrester and his team, Garriott was sold. He orally committed to the Cougars and will sign a national letter of intent in November.

Garriott chose a program in its final year in NCAA Division II. The Cougars will move up to Division I for his freshman season.

"The players and coaches were tremendous," Garriott said. "They treated me well, and the coaches showed me they cared about me on the court and off the court. That swayed my decision a lot."

The 6-foot-2 Garriott also had scholarship offers from Air Force, North Dakota, Utah State, Denver and Samford.

He said Forrester, a former Bradley assistant, and his staff sought a combination guard who could "shoot the ball, pass and dribble."

"Fortunately, that's what they saw in me," Garriott said.

"They showed me they really liked me as a player," he added. "They showed me I had a high possibility of getting in the lineup next year as a starter.

"My dream has always been to play Division I. I've been in the gym for years and years working hard. I knew if I worked as hard as I could, my true potential would come out. I feel that's what's coming out now."

Garriott averaged a team-high 15.1 points per game last year for a Central Catholic team that finished 25-4 and won Corn Belt Conference and Class A regional championships.

The transfer from Normal Community also contributed 3.0 assists, 1.8 steals, made 48 3-pointers and sank 76 percent of his free throws.

"It feels great to get the recruiting process out of the way," said Garriott, a second-team all-Corn Belt pick. "I can focus on Central Catholic and winning games with my team."

The Saints won the Jacksonville Shootout this summer under new coach Jason Welch, who was impressed by Garriott's all-around play.

"When we're good, he's distributing the ball," Welch said. "We've asked him to be unselfish and trust his teammates, and he's willing to do that.

"He defends well, and it's not only with his actions on the floor, but what he tells his teammates. He also isn't satisfied sitting on the (3-point) arc. He absorbed contact well (this summer) and drove hard to the rim and got to the foul line a lot. You have to be pretty quick to stay with him."

Garriott said he benefited from being on an AAU team coached by Dodie Dunson Sr. because "a lot of coaches were able to watch me play."

They liked what they saw, and Welch attributed that to hard work.

"He spends a lot of extra time in the gym and is committed to the weight room," Welch said. "Aaron has a lot of God-given skills, but he's doing what he can to enhance them and be a better player."

Garriott plans to major in business and minor in ministry.