Five talented student-athletes were signed to letters of intent, Humboldt State men's basketball Head Coach Steve Kinder announced Friday. Justin Claus (College of the Redwoods/Eureka, Calif.), Paris Davis (Southern Utah/Hayward, Calif.), Kellen Gerig (Big Valley HS/Bieber, Calif.), Tyler Green (Enterprise HS/Redding, Calif.) and Jeryn Lucas (West Campus HS/Sacramento, Calif.) will join the Lumberjacks for the 2016-17 campaign.
"We are very excited about our 2016 recruiting class," said Kinder. "This class brings a variety of players to our talented returning roster. The signees include three freshmen and two transfers, and they will provide relief after losing Rakim Brown, Tom Witzel and Ethan Dillard. In addition to the recruiting class, Calvin Young II is progressing ahead of schedule coming off a medical redshirt this past season, and he will give us a dominant rebounder and inside threat that can make big plays. We are continuing to recruit prospects and will make another announcement for further additions to our roster later this summer."
A local product, Claus played in 26 games last season at College of the Redwoods. He was named a First Team All-Golden Valley Conference selection and averaged 14 points per game and connected on 81 percent of his free-throw attempts. Claus averaged 37 minutes per game and compiled 78 assists.
"Justin has wanted to be a Jack since he attended Fortuna High School," said Kinder. "We have closely monitored his development as a student-athlete during his high school and community college years (at College of the Redwoods). His Humboldt County background is going to make him instantly a crowd favorite similar to Tom Witzel and Will Taylor. Justin's toughness and ability to play winning basketball makes him a very attractive recruit. His shot selection and precise shooting range beyond the 3-point line is the perfect ingredient for this year's roster. I look forward to seeing this young man daily in Lumberjack Arena. His work ethic and attitude will be a great addition to our basketball program."
A combo guard/forward, Davis led Chabot Junior College to a Final Four appearance in 2013-14 season, and he appeared in 23 games last season at Southern Utah. He averaged 25 points per game with the Oakland Rebels AAU squad and had a brilliant high school career. While at Skyline High School, Davis averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and three steals per game. Skyline advanced to the postseason during Davis' junior and senior campaigns.
"Paris is a transfer who has the ability to be an impact player in the CCAA," said Kinder. "He is a proven junior college player out of Los Angeles with NCAA Division I experience. Paris will bring a skill and intensity level to the floor that will match our existing roster. He can really get to the basket and score, and he also gets to the foul line. Paris has the athletic ability and size to defend multiple positions."
Gerig is another elite scorer. He averaged 27 points, 15 rebounds, seven steals and eight assists per game at Big Valley High School under the guidance of Head Coach Bob Bertelsen. Gerig demonstrated his prolific scoring with a 50-point outing during his senior season.
"Kellen is made of the right stuff," said Kinder. "He is a multi-talented young man who has those basketball instincts you want in all your players. Kellen was a star three-sport athlete in high school and carried an impressive GPA that got my attention when we discovered him late in this spring. He is deceivingly athletic and has huge upside. His game consists of deep 3-point range, finishing with dunks at the rim, but most impressive is his mid-range jumper. His transition to the college game will be a big jump, but I believe he will be a sponge and adjust quickly to the pace of the game and college level coaching."
A dominating high school player, Green averaged 18 points, 4.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals during his senior season at Enterprise High School. He finished his career with the Hornets with more than 1,300 career points and collected section MVP honors his junior and senior seasons. Green also was tabbed all-league during his freshman, junior and senior years.
"Tyler has a sense for the game and is an excellent basketball player," said Kinder. "He knows when to pass the basketball and when to score it. His ball handling and offensive skills make him a great fit to our program. He can help us compete at a very high level on the offensive end of the court with his pace of play. He competes on the defensive end of the court with his quickness and ability to anticipate plays. We are extremely excited about Tyler and believe he will help us win games as a true freshman."
Lucas played under Head Coach Fred Wilson at West Campus High School. He collected all-league, all-section and all-state awards and helped the team finish 29-6 overall and 10-2 in Golden Empire League play last season. Standing at 6-foot-6, Lucas provides a defensive challenge for opponents as he can play near the rim, and he also connected on 46 percent of his 3-point shots. He averaged 14 points per game as a senior.
"Jeryn is a great fit for the Lumberjacks," said Kinder. "His size and length allows him to defend a variety of opponents, which will make our team defense interchangeable for game plans. His offensive skills and ability to hit long-range 3-point shots in transition mirror our fast-pace structure. One of his best attributes is running the floor in fast break situations and finishing at the rim."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment