TROY — Four more Troy High School athletes made their college choices official in the Trojan Activity Center Monday, with basketball player Isaac Phillips and baseball pitchers Andrew Helman, Jacob Lucas and JD Harvey signing letters of intent.

Isaac Phillips

Phillips came to Troy two years ago and has been a standout for the Trojans on the hardwood, helping them to an MVL title this past season.

As a junior, the son of Brandy Phillips and Aaron Jackson averaged 11.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.7 assists.

As a senior, he averaged 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.5 assists and will take his talents to Otterbein University.

Phillips said Otterbein was an easy choice.

“There is a lot of basketball,” he said. “It is near the center of Columbus and there are a lot of different things to do. It is a chance to get away and live on my own and experience that. It is all good.”

Troy boys basketball coach Mark Hess agreed.

“I think coach Winters (Otterbein coach ) foes a great job there,” Hess said. “It is a great place to play and a great place to go to school. It is a really good choice for Isaac (Phillips) and I am excited to see what he does at the next level.”

And Phillips said his best basketball is still in front of him.

“You can always get better,” he said. “I think with my work ethic, I have the opportunity to go in there and show them what I can do.”

Hess agrees.

“It has been to watch and see the way his maturity and game has grown just in the one and a half years he has been at Troy,” Hess said. “And Isaac (Phillips) has such a tremendous work ethic. He is in the weight room every day and in the gym shooting. There is no limit to what he can do.”

Andrew Helman

Helman, one of three pitchers under the tutelage of baseball coach Ty Welker and pitching coach Heath Murray to sign Monday, will take his talents to Wittenberg University.

“Every since I was younger, I wanted to do something with baseball in college,” the son of Jill and Eric Helman said. “That is a big accomplishment and I am really happy I was able to do that.”

Helman had a 3-3 record as a sophomore, with 42 strikeouts in 36 innings and 2.70 ERA.

As a junior, he was 4-0 in 34 innings with 49 strikeouts and a 0.62 ERA, before having his season end with injury for the second straight year.

He helped Troy to share the MVL title with Vandalia-Butler.

This season, he has a 3-2 record with 41 strikeouts in 21 innings and 3.29 ERA.

The Trojans currently have a one-game lead in the MVL standings.

“This season probably hasn’t started out as well as I hoped,” Helman said. “We have two big games in the MVL this week (with Piqua) and then I think things will take care of themselves. We have a really deep pitching staff and with the guys we have, I think we can make a deep run in the tournament.”

Welker said Wittenberg baseball coach Brian McGee is getting a talented player.

“Andrew (Helman) is an outstanding pitcher,” Welker said. “I am excited to see what he will do at Wittenberg and coach McGee is going to be happy with the player he gets.”

Jacob Lucas

JD Harvey

Lucas, the son of Jennifer and Nathan Lucas and Harvey, the son of Kristy and Jason Harvey, will be attending University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima and will pitch for the Racers.

Lucas has found a niche as a reliever for Troy.

As a junior, he had a 4-0 record with 37 strikeouts in 29 innings and a 0.97 ERA with two saves.

This season, he is 1-1 with 22 strikeouts in 11 innings and a 0.62 ERA.

“It was a good choice for me financially,” Lucas said about UNOH. “I think I will start out on the JV team and have an opportunity to work my way up to varsity. I definitely will be a pitcher. The coaches didn’t really say if I would be a starter or reliever.”

Welker said it is a good fit for Lucas.

“Jacob (Lucas) is a good pitcher,” Welker said. “I think he will do really well there and it is a really good opportunity.”

Lucas likes the fact that Harvey will still be his teammate.

“I think that will be a really good thing,” he said. “I will have someone I can talk to.”

Harvey agreed with that.

“Budget wise, the school was a good choice for me,” Harvey said. “And one of my best friends is going there. I think it will be good to have someone I know on the team.”

Because of the depth of the Troy roster, Harvey has a lot of untapped potential.

“JD (Harvey) is a really good pitcher,” Welker said. “In a normal year, he would have been at the top of our rotation. I feel like I can put him in a big game. He came up off JV last year and pitched a game for us.”

Harvey looks forward to the challenge at the next level.

“I definitely feel like I have something to prove,” he said.

And all four signees look to do exactly that at the next level.