St. Joseph’s Nick Rakocevic commits to USC

As a junior, Nick Rakocevic was an integral part of a state championship, putting up 18 points and 11 rebounds in the 2015 state title win over Belleville Althoff.

This past season the 6-11 senior put together a dominating season that ended with a return trip to Peoria, where the Chargers finished fourth in the state this past March.

But sandwiched in between was a mercurial offseason, where national evaluators dropped him in the player rankings and college coaches were hot and cold.

Rakocevic, who self-admitted he didn’t take care of business during the spring and summer when so many eyes were on him, had one program that was consistent in its pursuit. That paid off for USC and coach Andy Enfeld as Rakocevic committed to the Trojans on Monday.

After taking a hit during the spring and summer, Rakocevic rebuilt his reputation through a stellar senior season. He averaged 19.8 points, 14 rebounds and 3.5 blocks a game while leading a young, inexperienced team to 25 wins.

With the rare and coveted combination of size and talent, Rakocevic brings promise and upside to a USC program that won 21 games and reached the NCAA Tournament this past season.