Wheaton, Ill. - Wheaton College head men's basketball coach Mike Schauer has announced his team's recruiting class for the 2012-13 season. Seven men, hailing from five different states, have submitted a deposit reserving a place in Wheaton's class of 2016, with plans of playing for the Thunder men's basketball team.


The newcomers with plans to join the Thunder in 2012-13 are:

Michael Berg (Manito, Ill./Midwest Central H.S.) is a six-foot-six-inch forward who was a four-year letter winner and three-year starter for coaches Merritt Burns and Kevin Burks. Michael led his team in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots as a sophomore, junior, and senior, capping off his career with averages of 27.9 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 2.4 blocked shots per game. He was twice selected First Team 1A/2A All-State by the IBCA, thrice selected as First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Area, and garnered 12 points in the Illinois Mr. Basketball voting. As a senior he was named the “Player of the Year” by both the Pekin Daily Times and the Peoria Journal Star. Michael graduates as Midwest Central's record-holder for rebounds in a game (31), season (321) and career (896). Michael's parents are Mark and Julie Berg.

Jonathan Berntsen (Chatham, N.J./Chatham H.S.), is a six-foot-two-inch guard who was a four-year letter winner, three-year starter, and three-time All-Conference selection for Coach Todd Ervin. A captain and team MVP as a senior, Jonathan averaged 17.2 points per game and graduates as the fifth-leading scorer in school history.  Jonathan led his team to a conference championship and county championship as a senior and was named the county tournament MVP and Co-County player of the year, despite missing much of the season due to injury. Jonathan will be the second “Mendham County Player of the Year” in the Wheaton program, joining current freshman Caleb DeMoss. Jonathan is the son of Torry and Dinah Berntsen.

Luis Miller (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian), is a six-foot-three-inch guard who played in high school for Coach PJ Brown. A captain as a senior, Luis led his team in scoring with 21 points per game, while amassing five rebounds a game, two assists per game, and two steals per game.  He was named Honorable Mention All-Dade County as a junior and Third Team All-Dade County as a senior, while also collecting his team's MVP award. Luis was selected to participate in the Private School All-Star game, in addition to the Nike Dade-Broward All-Star game. His parents are Luis and Betty Miller.

Joel Smith (Indianapolis, Ind./Heritage Christian H.S.) is a six-foot-six-inch forward who was a four-year starter and two-time captain for coach Kyle Bloom. As a senior, Joel led his team in scoring with 18.1 points per game and rebounding with 5.8 rebounds per game, as he also passed the 1,000-point scoring plateau in his career.  An All-State honorable mention selection as a senior, Joel was selected for both the Indy Elite All-Star Game and the Eric Gordon All-Star Challenge. He was twice named to the All-City Tournament Team and was his team's MVP as a senior. His parents are Douglas and Karen Smith.

Brayden Teuscher (Rockford, Ill./Rockford Christian H.S./Washington University), arrives at Wheaton as a transfer from Washington University in St. Louis, where he averaged 7.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game as a freshman while leading the team in three-point percentage (.398). The six-foot-three-inch guard was named First Team IBCA All-State as a senior in high school, finished second in the state three-point shootout, and was ranked as the No. 4 shooting guard prospect in Illinois class of 2011 by ESPN Recruiting. A four-time First Team All-Conference player and two-time conference MVP at Rockford Christian, Brayden led his team to a 32-1 record and third-place finish in the state his senior season. Brayden played in high school for Coach Shane Bautch and his parents are Michael and Janice Teuscher.

Riley Teuscher (Rockford, Ill./Rockford Christian H.S.), is a six-foot-three inch guard who played his high school basketball for Coach Shane Bautch. During his junior and senior seasons, his team rolled up a record of 55-7 with conference titles both seasons and a third-place finish in the state as a junior. An outstanding perimeter shooter, Riley averaged 11.5 point per game while shooting 41 percent from three-point range as a senior. He was named First Team All-Conference, his team's MVP, and played in the Rising Stars All-Star Game. Riley is the son of Michael and Janice Teuscher.

Drew Wikelius (Austin, Texas/Westlake H.S.), is a six-foot-seven-inch forward who was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter for Coach Tres Ellis. As a senior, Drew averaged 12.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while leading his team to a District Co-Championship, and was selected to play in the Central Texas Coaches All-Star Game. Drew's parents are Larry and Sandra Wikelius.