Now for the Merritt College 2011-12 basketball team

After covering the next destinations of the Merritt College sophomores, we turned to Coach Keenan McMiller for the players he has returning plus his Thunderbird newcomers.

Summer school has started and these are McMiller's enrollees along with his commentary.

Newcomers:

* Joshua Amey, 5-foot-11, Berkeley High

"He will be our starting point -- Josh has the work ethic and the basketball IQ and just needs to bulk up -- he will be a D-1 player"

* Eric Nelson, 6-foot-7 & 180, El Cerrito High (8.3 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots a game)

"Eric has a great attitude, endless potential and is hard-nosed -- he can run, block shots and finish at the rim -- we'll get him in the weight room and also make him a faceup forward -- another eventual D-1 player"

* Andrew Nash, 6-foot-2, Oakland High

"We will redshirt him as he needs a year to get healthy -- I've known him since the sixth grade, he is a super athlete and a team guy who received some ESPN notice as a point"

* Glendale Poole, 6-foot-8 & 260, Fremont (Oakland) High

"He played at Alameda College as a freshman but got the year back -- he's a force in the middle who has good footwork and we expect to get 10-15 minutes a game out of him"

* Deandre Coppage, 6-4, Natomas High

"He's a freshman who hasn't played in a couple of years, he last played high school back in 2008"

* Marcos Castrillo, 6-6, Pinole Valley High

"Marcos is a combo forward who is learning to be more physical and has come a long way"

Returnees:

* Kareem Ransom, 6-foot-3, Inderkum High

"An excellent scorer"

* Nick Capiti, 6-foot-1, Bishop O'Dowd High

"He has thoroughly improved his ballhandling and his shooting, he has spent a lot of time on his shot"

* Elliott Herald, 6-foot-3, Center High (Sacramento)

* Tyler Idowu, 6-foot-4, Rodriguez High (Fairfield)

* Jisuan Randle, 6-foot-2, Newark Memorial High

Plus three other student-athletes from outside the area are coming in:

* Douglas Anderson, 6-foot-7 & 215, Stephenson High, Atlanta

"We redshirted him last year -- he's a solid rebounder and defender"

* Nick Dixon, 6-foot-8, Reed High, Reno

"I've known Nick since the sixth or seventh grade"

* Jordan Fusslier, 6-foot-0, Baton Rouge, LA

"He played in Baton Rouge and is the nephew of former St. Mary's Assistant Coach David Patrick who is now the overseas talent scout for the Houston Rockets -- Jordan played his first year here and was our third leading scorer"

McMiller may also have two other additions but it's not yet definite. The pair are:

* Christopher Jackson, 6-foot-4, a member of the McClymonds High 2008 state championship team

* Bobby Syvanthong, 5-foot-9, El Cerrito High School, the Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League 2011 MVP