BASKETBALL: Alton's Cotto finds comfortable fit at SLU

ALTON - Ruben Cotto viewed his choices for college basketball and determined it wasn't even close on selecting a school.

It was Saint Louis University all the way. He made it a slam dunk decision.

Cotto, a 6-foot senior and talented guard for the Alton Redbirds, announced the past weekend he has given a verbal commitment to SLU, a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

"I really like the whole staff - all of them," he said of the SLU coaches. "And I like the opportunity to get a good education there."

Cotto also looked hard at La Salle, Virginia Commonwealth, Iowa State and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Yet the chance to play for a potentially rising program such as Saint Louis proved to be a factor in his decision.

"It looks like their program is on the upswing and they can go to the NCAA Tournament," Cotto said of the Billikens, 16-15 under first-year head coach Rick Majerus the past season. However, Majerus is loading up on promising recruits, including Cotto, to make the Billikens a prominent player in the A-10.

Cotto said, "I went to couple of games - against Xavier and Dayton - and they almost won both of them." Dayton shaded them 68-57 in overtime at the Scottrade Center and Xavier edged them 70-68 on a last-second shot.

So the Bills seem on the cusp of doing big things, Cotto said. Local players Tommie Liddell (East St. Louis) and Kevin Lisch (Belleville) will be seniors next season.

"Coach Majerus can help players to be the best they can be. He knows what he's doing," said Cotto, an Illinois Class 4A second-team All-Stater.

"By the time I leave there, I want to be the best player I can be. But right now, it's all about team goals," Cotto said of SLU.

The past season, Cotto averaged 22.3 points per game for the 24-7 Redbirds, third-place finishers in the Southwestern Conference. The Redbirds won their Tip-Off Classic, Meijer Classic at Chatham Glenwood and took third in the Centralia Holiday Tournament. Cotto was the MVP in all three tourneys.

Next up for the Miami transfer is the RiverWars All-Star game on Saturday, April 12, at the new Chaifetz Arena on the SLU campus. He's also scheduled to take the ACT exam that day.

"I like the new arena and the entire facility - not just for sports," Cotto said of the SLU campus. Once he qualifies, Cotto plans to major in marketing.

Right now, he's recovering from a tender knee and a post-concussion syndrome he sustained late in the season. Cotto suffered the slight head injury during the Collinsville game in the Alton Regional semifinal and played through it two nights later when the Redbirds lost to Edwardsville 53-45 in the regional championship game.

"I'm feeling better," Cotto said.