PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley Basketball completed is 2013 recruiting class Tuesday when 6-foot-9 post player Xzavier Taylor (Chicago, Ill./Morgan Park H.S.) signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Bradley University and play for the Braves during the 2013-14 school year.

“We are really excited to add Xzavier to an already strong recruiting class,” said Bradley head coach Geno Ford. “He is a high-character, team-first type of player who possesses good size, athleticism and toughness for his position.

“He played his best basketball at the end of the season and we are confident his performance in the state tournament will be just the beginning for him,” Ford added. “He should be able to contribute early on and has great upside.”

Taylor already has experienced success on Bradley's home floor at Carver Arena, where he helped Morgan Park win the 2013 Class 3A state championship by contributing 11 points and 12 rebounds in the title game victory against Cahokia. He also contributed 10 points, eight rebounds and a blocked shot against Limestone in the semifinals at Carver Arena.

Taylor, who teamed with fellow Bradley recruit Mike Shaw for the Chicago-based Mac Irvin Fire AAU team, becomes the fifth player to join the Braves since the start of the spring signing period last month and the sixth member overall of Bradley's 2012-13 recruiting class. All six newcomers stand at least 6-foot-5. While Shaw must sit out the 2013-14 season as a transfer from the University of Illinois, the other five recruits will join 2012-13 Division I transfers Anthony Fields and Omari Grier in a Bradley lineup that will feature seven newcomers.

Led by rising seniors Walt Lemon, Jr. and Tyshon Pickett, the team's top scorer and rebounder, respectively, Bradley returns seven lettermen from a squad that enjoyed one of the best turnarounds in the nation last year. The Braves made an 11-win improvement to 18-17 overall and advanced to the quarterfinals of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

2012-13 Bradley Basketball Recruiting Class