ORONO, Maine – Maine men's basketball head coach Richard Barron announced the fifth and sixth signings to the 2018 recruiting class on Tuesday, as Solomon Iluyomade and Vilgot Larsson both inked National Letters of Intent to attend UMaine and play for the Black Bears. Both Iluyomade and Larsson will enroll in the fall as sophomores and are eligible to play immediately.
 
"We are extremely pleased to welcome Solomon and Vilgot to our program," said Barron. "Both visited campus along with Misha, Ned, and Sergio and all five hit it off with each other and our returning players. It was great fun for our staff to see the way they all interacted and to get a sense of the personality our team will take next season."
 
Iluyomade, a 6-7 forward from London, England, played his freshman season at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming. At Laramie, Iluyomade appeared in 28 games, making 12 starts, while averaging 6.3 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds.
 
"Solomon is a very versatile forward," Barron continued. "He is explosive off the dribble and attacks the rim fearlessly. He has three-point range, tremendous rebounding ability and offers a tough interior presence on both ends of the floor. His length (7'2" reach) and athleticism allow him to guard anyone on the floor. Additionally, he is a wonderful young man and Black Bear Nation will embrace 'Solly.'"
 
Solomon shot 47.8 percent from the floor, and posted three double-doubles in 2017-18. Against Northeastern Junior College on December 7, he recorded a season-high 16 points (7-11 FG), along with collecting 11 assists. Iluyomade also put together an impressive 14 point, 16 rebound performance against Southern Idaho on Dec. 16.
 
Larsson, a 6-8 forward from Stockholm, Sweden, spent his first collegiate season in 2017-18 at Hill College, as the Rebels earned a 21-9 record. He started in 26 games, averaging 6.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per contest. He made 47.2 percent of his field goals attempts, while reaching double-figures in scoring in five contests.
 
"Vilgot brings a wealth of international experience to our team from his time with the Swedish National Team," Barron noted. "His length and speed have made him one of Sweden's top defensive players and his guard skills and three-point shooting range make him tough to match up with. He brings a great basketball IQ to the team along with a very competitive spirit. We're excited to see what he can do for us this coming season."
 
He has represented Sweden at four FIBA European Championships, in 2017 (U20 Division A), 2016 (U18 Division A), 2015 (U18 Division B) and 2014 (U16 Division B). In seven games at the 2017 U20 Division 'A' Championships, Larsson averaged 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds. In Sweden's final game against Montenegro, he registered 10 points (2-3 3PT, 4-4 FT) and six rebounds in a team-high 31 minutes of work.
 
Larsson and recent UMaine commit Mikhailo 'Misha' Yagodin squared off in last year's FIBA U20 Division 'A' European Championships, when Sweden faced Ukraine on July 27, 2017 in Crete, Greece. Yagodin dropped in eight points while Larsson connected on 2-of-3 shots from 3-point range for six points, as Yagodin's Ukraine squad won a hard-fought 77-74 contest at Heraklion University Hall. 
 
Iluyomade and Larsson join Yagodin, Terion Moss, Sergio El Darwich and Nedeljko Prijovic as the Black Bears to sign National letters of Intent to attend UMaine this offseason.
 
The eligibility of all student-athletes is contingent upon admission to the University of Maine and compliance with all NCAA rules, including registration with the NCAA Eligibility Center.
 
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