Big game in the Big Easy: Quincy’s Talton commits to the University of New Orleans

QUINCY — Cameron Bergman knew what was potentially transpiring as Jeremiah Talton chatted with University of New Orleans assistant basketball coach Kris Arkenberg following Tuesday night’s game against Galesburg.

So Bergman, a senior on the Quincy High School boys basketball team, waited around to find out if there was any news.

“Did you get it?” Bergman asked Talton as he walked toward the bleachers in the south end of Blue Devil Gym.

Talton smiled a smile bigger than any he’s flashed all season.

“I got it,” he said.

It was a scholarship offer to play for the Privateers, an NCAA Division I team in the Southland Conference. Immediately, Talton said it could be the one he accepts.

“There was a little bit of thought put into it,” Talton said. “I talked to my parents. They told me they were being me 100 percent with whatever decision I was going to make. I prayed about it and thought about it a lot. The next day, I made up my mind this is where I want to be.”

Friday, the 6-foot-6 Talton made it official. He gave Arkenberg and New Orleans head coach Mark Slessinger his verbal commitment. Talton will sign a national letter of intent with the Privateers this spring and join them for the 2022-23 season.

“What set them apart was (Arkenberg) flew all the way from New Orleans to smalltown Quincy, Illinois, just to watch me play,” Talton said. “That stood out to me. And they said they had watched so much film on me it was sickening. So just them being loyal and following through on what they said showed they cared about me and wanted me to be a part of their program.”

New Orleans currently sits at 15-9 overall and 8-1 and in first place in the Southland Conference. They’ve positioned themselves to be the top seed in the Southland Conference Tournament and potentially vie for an NCAA Tournament bid with five league games remaining.

Talton said he’s never been to New Orleans, but his mother’s family is from Biloxi, Miss., which is about an hour from New Orleans so he’s somewhat familiar with the area.

And going to school in the Big Easy is an experience he plans to savor.

“It’s going to be a really good experience,” Talton said. “I like bigger places and bigger cities, so it was kind of the perfect fit.”

Talton had two official offers on the table from Western Illinois University and Quincy University before New Orleans came calling. There had been hope other programs would show interest after Talton put together an impressive regular season.

He’s averaging 19.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 44 percent from 3-point range and 84.9 percent from the free-throw line. He’s made a QHS single-season record 95 3-pointers and drawn 28 charges.

All the while, he led the Blue Devils to a 13-1 record and the Western Big 6 Conference championship. Overall, Quincy is 24-5 heading into Wednesday’s Class 4A Alton Regional semifinal against Edwardsville.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Talton, who ranks ninth in program history with 1,429 career points. “Going to a Division I school was always the goal for me. I wasn’t sure how this season was going to go, but it’s gone better than I ever imagined. Being at that last game and being able to get that offer was special.”