Nov. 9, 2005

St. Louis - Saint Louis University head men's basketball coach Brad Soderberg today announced that 6-foot-5 guard Dustin Maguire (Bethalto, Ill. / Edwardsville HS) has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University and play basketball for the Billikens. He will have four years of eligibility beginning with the 2006-07 academic year.

"Dustin is a physical guard with a great build and addresses our needs for another perimeter shooter," Soderberg said. "Dustin comes to us after a great career with the Gateway AAU program and immediately makes us a better 3-point shooting team. He brings all the benefits of having another local player on our squad and is also an excellent student."

"Coach Soderberg recruited me, because they needed a go-to shooter, someone who can consistently knock down shots and clutch shots, and that's my forte," Maguire said. "SLU is on the rise and getting the players to compete for Atlantic 10 titles, and I'm excited to be a part of that. The program is a great fit for me in all aspects - athletically, academically and I'm close to home where my family can watch us play."

Maguire was the two-time Mississippi Valley Conference Player of the Year at Civic Memorial High School during his junior and sophomore years before transferring to Edwardsville High School for his upcoming senior season. During the 2004-05 season, Maguire averaged 18.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while shooting 36.8 percent from 3-point distance to earn St. Louis Post-Dispatch third-team All-Metro honors. The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) tabbed Maguire for its Class AA fourth-team All-State squad. Maguire poured in 20.2 ppg as a sophomore when he was an IBCA honorable mention All-State selection. He left Civic Memorial as its second all-time leading scorer with 1,571 points.

"Dustin is a hard worker and an outstanding shooter," Edwardsville head coach Mike Waldo said. "We expect him to be a great addition to our program and an asset to the Billikens when he gets there next year."

Maguire is a 2005 Street & Smith's honorable mention All-America after being invited to the Reebok ABCD summer camp in 2004 and 2005. He was also recruited by Illinois, Purdue, Michigan State, Southern Illinois, Valparaiso, Wyoming and UNLV.