LMU on the signing of Josh Sykes

From LMU athletics: "...The 6-8, 190-pound talent turned heads over the summer for his development after one year with Coach Ed Madec at Fresno City. He averaged 4.5 points and 4.3 rebounds as a freshman, and is one of the reasons the Rams are ranked second in Northern California entering this week. Sykes had a solid 15-points, 12-rebound performance last Sunday in a setback to No. 1 CCSF in the finals of the CCSF tip-off tournament.

“Sykes has amazing athletic talent and Coach Madec really worked hard to get him to understand what it takes to capitalize on that talent. Once he realized that, he really turned heads this summer,” said Dunlap. “He is a very long athlete who can make things hard at the rim. He is a very good rebounder and is another good fit for our program.”

Sykes averaged 10.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game his senior season at Golden Valley High School in Merced. He was named the Merced Sun-Star Player of the Year as a junior, averaging 10.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game. He finished his career for coach Keith Hunter with 8.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game..."