RECRUITING: Findlay Prep’s Howard selects Marquette, will reclassify

Findlay Prep boys basketball player Markus Howard announced Sunday on Twitter he has given an oral commitment to Marquette and will reclassify to the class of 2016.

Howard’s commitment is nonbinding, and the first day he can sign a letter of intent is April 13. Marquette’s coaches cannot comment until that time.

Howard announced his commitment to Marquette in a video that was directed by his older brother Jordan, a rising junior point guard at Central Arkansas.

Howard, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound combo guard, led the Pilots (28-2) in scoring at 18.6 points per game and added 3.4 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals. He transferred to Findlay Prep in the summer after two seasons as an all-state player at Gilbert (Arizona) Perry.

Howard, who decommitted from Arizona State in March 2015, is rated a consensus four-star prospect. He is ranked the No. 40 player in the class of 2017 by Rivals.com and is No. 50 by Scout.com.

Howard had 16 known scholarship offers and chose Marquette over Arizona State, Baylor, Central Arkansas and Indiana.

He is the latest Findlay Prep player to reclassify, following in the footsteps of Dillon Brooks and Derryck Thornton. Brooks reclassified into the class of 2014 and helped Oregon earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament this season, while Thornton just finished his freshman season at Duke.