By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Western Illinois coach Chad Boudreau has been recruiting Isaiah Griffin for a while, starting when he played at Southeastern Community College.

Boudreau finally got him on Tuesday when Griffin, a 6-foot-6 forward who has been at Idaho State the last two seasons, committed to the Leathernecks.

“It’s my last year, and I want to do it right,” Griffin said. “I trust Coach Boudy, so I feel like it’s the best spot for me. He’s been trying to get me the last few years. I feel like this time’s the charm.”

Griffin appreciated the way Boudreau recruited him.

“I like the way they play,” he said. “I like the way he interacts with his players. He did all of the recruitment with me. He’s the head coach, and he was recruiting me from the jump. I feel like I’ve known him for a long time, for years.”

Western Illinois’ roster is undergoing a complete overhaul this offseason after the Leathernecks missed the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. Twelve Leathernecks are in the NCAA transfer portal.

Griffin is the second player to commit to Western Illinois this spring, joining Danny Stephens, a 6-7 guard/forward from Bowen, Ill., who has spent the last two seasons at Missouri.

Griffin started 64 games in two seasons at Idaho State. He averaged 10.5 points and 3.9 rebounds this season, and 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in the 2023-24 season.

Griffin averaged 12.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in his one season at Southeastern in 2022-23, and averaged 17.3 points and 6.3 rebounds as a freshman at Western Oklahoma State College.

Griffin said the biggest growth in his game at Idaho State came on defense.

“I got a lot of the bigger defensive assignments, because I can guard the on-ball well,” he said. “Offensively, it’s just being more confident taking my shots, taking more threes. I feel like I can score at a lot of different levels now. Coming into the OVC, I feel like I can be a good scorer and a good defender within the league.”

Griffin said his versatility can help the Leathernecks.

“I can play any position (Boudreau) needs me to play,” he said. “I can get to the cup, get fouled. I can shoot threes. I can switch on to anyone on defense.

“It’s going to be fun being there. Hopefully we can get some (SCC) fans out there. We had a pretty good year when I was there, hope they can come over.”

Photo: Isaiah Griffin drives to the basket in a game against UCLA this season. (David Dennis/Icon Sportswire)