Giacoletti happy to sign French foward

The Utah basketball team found unbelievable success when it recruited an unknown big man from Australia three years ago.

Now the Utes are hoping they've found a hidden gem in France, of all places.

The Utes announced the signing of four high school basketball players to letters of intent Wednesday on the first day of the NCAA early signing period, including Kim Tillie, a 17-year-old from Cagnes-sur-Mer, France.

Ute coach Ray Giacoletti said his team may still sign one more player before the early signing period ends next week, but for now he's thrilled with the four players who will be joining his program.

Tille, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from France, who visited the U. campus last week and made a verbal commitment before going home, joins three players who previously made their intentions known to play for Utah.

Daniel Deane, a 6-8, 245-pound forward from Judge Memorial High; Curtis Eatmon, a 6-3, 175-pound point guard from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; and David Foster, a 7-1, 220-pound center from Lake Forest, Calif., had each verbally committed to Utah during the past three months.

Giacoletti said he was put on the trail of Tillie by an Atlanta Hawks scout when he was visiting the organization to talk about Andrew Bogut's draft prospects last spring. Tillie didn't play in the major tournaments in Europe because his parents wanted him to stay in school so he was unknown to most colleges. Assistant coach Mike Score watched him play during the summer, started recruiting him and Tillie eventually chose the Utes over Florida and Old Dominion.

Giacoletti compares Tille to former Ute Britton Johnsen, both in his physique as well as his athleticism and ability to run the floor.

"Kim is one of the brightest young stars in the country of France," Giacoletti said. "As a 17-year-old, he already has a great deal of international experience. He is extremely athletic for his size and has the chance to be a very good player."

Deane is the son of former Ute Greg Deane (1975-79) and averaged 19 points and 14 rebounds a game last year. He was named first-team "Best in the West" and the highest rated player to sign with a Mountain West Conference school so far. He chose Utah over Kansas, Stanford and Gonzaga.