This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Yoeli Childs did his homework.

After receiving offers from nearly a dozen Division I college basketball programs, the 6-foot-7 senior at Bingham High School in South Jordan researched every one of them. The outstanding student with a 3.5 grade point average and ACT score of 24 checked out what schools such as Auburn, Marquette, Boise State, Arizona State, Utah State, Princeton and Vanderbilt had to offer besides basketball.

In the end, he chose BYU. Childs signed with the Cougars early Thursday morning at a ceremony in Bingham's trophy room.

"There are a lot of reasons I signed with BYU. A couple of them are: they were the school that believed in me the most. Me and coach [Dave] Rose have a great relationship. Me and coach [Tim] LaComb also have a great relationship.

Coach LaComb did a great job recruiting me. I felt like they recruited me the hardest and just wanted me the most. I love their style of play — up tempo.

They have been really good when they've had solid post players in the past. I think we can just build on that."

On Wednesday, when the weeklong signing period began, BYU announced it also signed 6-6 guard Connor Harding of Pocatello, Idaho, and 6-9 forward Gavin Baxter of Provo's Timpview High. I will have more on Harding and Baxter later today.

Bingham coach Jake Schroeder said Childs' signing a day later wasn't an indication of "second-guessing, or anything like that." It was because Childs originally wanted to sign with some of his summer league teammates such as Duke-bound Frank Jackson of Lone Peak, but those plans fell through. Jackson's father, Al Jackson, attended the ceremony on Thursday.

Schroeder said BYU is getting a relentless worker and rebounder.

"They are getting a tough, hard-nosed, feisty rebounder," the coach said. "That's what he does best. He can score, he can do all that. What will make him a good player at the next level is he can rebound out of his area.

He runs the floor well, he's a gym rat. He is going to bring his hard hat every day and battle with whoever they put in front of him."

Raised in the West Jordan area by a single mother, Kara Childs, Yoeli (who goes by Yo) said he is not LDS but is familiar with the lifestyle, standards and culture found at LDS Church-owned BYU.

"Well, I'm at a Mormon school right now, pretty much," he said, noting that most of his best friends and teammates are LDS. "It is not really a leap. Growing up in Utah my whole life, it is not weird for me or anything."

Flanked by his mother and 16-year-old brother Masay, a junior at Bingham who doesn't play basketball, Yoeli put pen to paper after thanking his family, coaches and teammates for making the day possible.

"She's been better than any two parents I could imagine," he said of his mother.

Childs said his unique first name means "Do the Will of God."

"That's kind of fitting for BYU, I guess," he said.

Childs plays the five (center) position for Bingham, sometimes the four because the Miners have another tall athlete in the program. He will probably play the four spot for BYU.

"The way basketball is going, it is position-less, but if I had to say a position, it would be the four. I can play the five and also the three. I will play whatever it takes to get me out on the court," he said.

Schroeder said Childs is Bingham's first Division I basketball signee since Ben Clifford signed with Utah State. Clifford has returned to Bingham to help Childs with his game several times.

For BYU, it is a pretty good get. Baxter and Harding are expected to go on LDS Church missions before enrolling; Childs will enroll next summer and start contributing right away.

"They have been recruiting me since I was a freshman," he said. "I wasn't very interested, to be honest, at first. They didn't think I had a big interest. But once I started seeing the players they were getting, watching their style of play, I just knew it would be a great fit. So I just reached out to them and made it happen … I have always been open to all programs. I put in a lot of research of all the schools recruiting me. I made a big process out of finding the perfect school, and BYU just recruited me really hard. I think we will be able to do something really special."