Courtesy of Matt McLagan, Caldwell SID

CALDWELL, N.J. - Michael Balkovic of Neptune, N.J., has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Caldwell College, men's basketball coach Mark A. Corino announced. Balkovic, who committed during the fall early signing period, will enroll at Caldwell College for the 2011-12 academic year.

"Michael is a well-rounded and quality individual who fits into our program," Corino said. "He represents the type of student-athlete we want in our program, and we think he has a chance to contribute and be one of the building blocks of the future."

Balkovic, a 6-8 forward, is having a standout senior season at St. John Vianney High School in Holmdel, N.J. He led the Lancers to a pair of season-opening wins with 24 points against Long Branch on Dec. 17 and a season-high 29 points against Red Bank on Dec. 20. Balkovich also had a 26-point game in a loss to Rumson on Jan. 6. As a junior, Balkovic helped St. John Vianney to a 15-11 record while averaging 14.9 points per game. He also made the Shore Conference Class A Central second team as a sophomore after pulling down 10.0 rebounds per contest.

The Cougars, who are 5-8 so far this season, have three seniors on this year's roster, including frontcourt players Antonio Brimley (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Eastside) and Tyler Emmons (Portland, ME/Portland).