Chicago Hales Franciscan High School senior Eddie Alcantara opened his signing announcement at his high school on Tuesday by thanking all his family and friends for supporting him through his career.

Keeping it short and sweet for all those waiting, he cut straight to the chase on where he was headed to play college basketball.

“Next fall, I’ll be attending Western Kentucky University,” he said to the crowd.

As a junior at Hales Franciscan, Alcantara helped lead his team to the Illinois Class 2A state championship, scoring 15 points in a 61-47 win over Murphysboro High School.

He worked hard as a senior to become a scoring threat in the post as well as outside, shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range in his final high school season.

Alcantara said his friends have offered him encouraging words as he prepares for his journey as a Topper.

“My friends are so excited, they feel confident in me and what (WKU) has returning” he said. “They’re ready to see me play in the NCAA tournament.”

But the 6-foot-5 forward said his family wants him to remember one of the big reasons he chose WKU after a long recruiting process.

“They’re reminding me to stay focused on what I went there for, journalism,” he said. “I love media.”

He said he also plans to put himself through some grueling workouts to get ready for his career at WKU, adding he has an upcoming all-star game in Chicago, the “Westside vs. Southside” game on Saturday, May 5.

With point guard Brandon Harris committing to the Toppers on April 19, Alcantara is the second addition to Ray Harper’s first recruiting class as head coach at WKU.

Harper has one more scholarship to award to complete the 2012 class, with WKU target and UConn transfer Michael Bradley set to make his announcement this Saturday.

“I’m going to play as hard as I can for WKU,” Alcantara said. “Be prepared for something epic. We want to win a national championship.”