ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Head Coach Grey Giovanine and his staff have announced Augustana's 2018 men's basketball recruiting class. The Vikings, who lose just two members of this year's 25-6 CCIW champion and national quarterfinalist squad, have added three players who enjoyed great success in high school, with a combined 69-22 record and a state championship during their senior seasons.
  
Augustana landed 5' 11" guard Luke Johnson of Longmont High School in Longmont, Colorado. Johnson was named this year's Colorado Player of the Year in Class 4A—the state's second-highest classification. He was also one of just five players statewide, from all classes, named to the Denver Post All-Colorado team and was named MVP of the 2018 CHSAA Class 4A State Tournament after leading the 26-2 Trojans to their first state championship since 1942.
 
Johnson averaged 19.5 points per game this season on shooting percentages of .516 from the field, .470 from three-point range and .792 from the free throw line.  He added averages of 3.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.8 steals per game. In five state tournament contests, he averaged 23.0 points, converting 38 of 69 (.551) from the floor, 12 of 21 (.571) from beyond the arc and 27 of 34 (.794) at the foul line.
 
Longmont Coach Jeff Kloster calls Johnson a "left-handed wizard," and added "Luke served as our captain for the past two years and we'll miss his leadership along with his tremendous work ethic. He is truly a gym rat, always working on his craft to become better."
 
Joshua Boulanger, a 6' 4" wing from Brother Rice High School in Chicago, Illinois was a four-year letter winner for Coach Bobby Frasor's Crusaders. As a senior, he was named the team's Defensive Player of the Year, was a Chicago Catholic League all-conference selection and earned All-Area honorable mention from the Chicago Sun Times. He was also selected to play in the Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference All-Star Game.
 
Boulanger averaged 10.7 points and a team-high 8.6 rebounds per game for a 19-11 Brother Rice squad this season. He shot .535 from the field, .352 from three-point range and .647 from the free throw line. He set a school record with 67 blocked shots, pushing his career total to 100—also a school record.
 
"I am excited to see Josh develop in such a great program at Augustana," said Frasor. "Josh started playing basketball in the 7th grade, so he has a chance to really improve.  He plays much bigger than his frame shows. Augustana is getting a hungry, passionate, bouncy and very coachable player who has a high ceiling."
 
Jacob Schwerbrock, a 6' 8" forward from Wethersfield High School in Kewanee, Illinois will be joining the Vikings as well. A four-year starter for Coach Jeff Parsons' Flying Geese, Schwerbrock finished his career as Wethersfield's third all-time leading scorer with 1,346 points. He was a three-year all-area performer and as a senior, was named to the Champaign News-Gazette's All-State Special mention 50—which encompasses all four classes in Illinois—and earned Class 1A All-State honorable mention from the Associated Press.
 
Schwerbrock led Wethersfield this year with averages of 16.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.52 blocked shots per game. He shot .553 from the field, .360 from three-point range and a team-best .777 from the foul line for a 24-9 Flying Geese outfit. As a junior, he averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and earned IBCA Class 1A/2A All-State honorable mention. During his sophomore season, he averaged 12.0 points and 6.3 rebounds and connected on 67 three-point field goals.
 
"Jake had a great career at Wethersfield," said Parsons. "I'm glad to see him continuing his playing career at Augie. Jake's best basketball is ahead of him."
 
Giovanine expressed his thoughts on this year's class. "We added a point guard who led his team to a state championship, an athletic wing from a great program and a big guy with an exceptional skill set. This is another terrific group of promising prospects that are used to winning.  As their careers unfold, I believe they will be able to help Augustana continue competing for national honors."