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NORMAL — Quickly forming a positive relationship with Illinois State basketball coach Ryan Pedon has led to Sarasota, Florida, standout Johnny Lackaff committing to sign a national letter of intent with the Redbirds. A 6-foot-4 sharpshooter, Lackaff averaged 23.4 points and shot 47 percent from 3-point range as a junior for Sarasota High School. "I built a really good relationship with Coach Pedon. It was genuine," Lackaff said. "He was the best coach I had a relationship with." Lackaff's father John met Pedon at Florida's IMG Academy and mentioned his son's basketball talents. "I also have another friend (former Illinois assistant) Mark Coomes who has a really good relationship with Coach Pedon," Johnny said. "I don't have a lot of connections with Illinois State. But a lot of people I'm close with said this (Pedon) is your guy." People are also reading… Pedon saw Lackaff play in July at a tournament in Texas. "He saw me play twice and I had a really good game," Lackaff said. "He fell in love as soon as he got to see me play. He offered me July 13 a day or two after he saw me play, and we built the connection from there." Lackaff, whose scholarship offers include Santa Clara and Bradley, took an official visit to Furman. After visiting ISU, he canceled a scheduled visit at Florida State. "I felt Illinois State was the place for me," he said. Lackaff shot 54 percent overall from the field and 86 percent at the free throw line. He also averaged 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals while connecting on 78 3-pointers for a 25-7 Sailors team. "Definitely my ability to shoot separates me from a lot of people," said Lackaff, who averaged 21.9 points as a sophomore. "I have the ability to make the game simple in a way. "I handle the ball and get my teammates the ball, but the biggest separator is my competitiveness. I have God-given talents. My hard work and dedication is built to that." The 190-pound Lackaff watched an ISU practice on his visit. "I'm a pretty physical guy, but I will have to get more physical," he said. "That and the speed of the game are the two main things that will be an adjustment."