Princeton head coach Pete Carril has not had a good 1993. For the first time in five years, his Tigers did not win the Ivy League Conference, and, as a result, the Penn Quakers received the NCAA Tournament bid.

Now, in the heart of the recruiting season, he has lost the battle for a 5’9″ true point guard by the name of Ronald Minter.

Instead, NIU head coach Brian Hammel and the Huskie basketball program will be welcoming the senior from Martin Luther King High School next season.

Minter told The Northern Star yesterday that he has signed a letter of intent with NIU and will play basketball for the Huskies in the 1993-‘94 season.

Besides Princeton, Minter was also considering Oklahoma as one of his choices. However, after time, he decided NIU was the right place for him for reasons other than just athletics.

“I like the way they treated you as far as grades,” said Minter, who ranks first in his class at King. “They seem like they really care about you academically.”

As far as the program is concerned, Mintor was impressed.

“He (Hammel) is a great person,” said Mintor. “He cares about the players. That’s what I look for in a coach. He’ll treat you the same, even if you get injured. I like Coach Hammel a lot.

“I liked the players. They really treated you like they knew you.”

The senior shot 1-of-3 from the floor in King’s 82-54 trouncing of two-time defending champion Proviso East in the quarterfinals of the IHSA Championships.

He only scored four points, but he was able to dump the ball inside to standouts Thomas Hamilton (18 points) and Rashard Griffith (18 points). As a result, Minter ended the game as the leading assist man with eight.

His quickness at the point guard position made it able for the Jaguars to break open a pressure defense that had made the Pirates so successful in the past.

In addition to his offensive aid, Mintor held two-time all-state selection Kenny Davis to only two points in the second and third quarters of that game.

Despite rumors that 12th year King head coach Landon Cox does not particularly care for NIU, he quietly gave his blessings to the senior.

“He didn’t say too much,” said Mintor. “He asked me if this is what I really wanted. I said, ‘yes.’ He said to go for it. He wanted to make sure that they took care of me while I was there.”

Because of strict NCAA rules regarding recruiting, neither Hammel nor Cox were available for comments.

Minter will join 6-3 Thomas Cook of Hillcrest High School, whom NIU signed in the fall.