Along with its 9-22 record, the two glaring weaknesses for Ball State University's men's basketball team last season were a lack of perimeter shooters and size in the low post.
Cardinals coach Ronny Thompson received national letters of intent Thursday from guard Rob Giles, forward Kevin Ford and forward/center Robert Martina. Thompson said the three players fill multiple holes in his team's roster.
"I think these guys are more pieces of the puzzle that I'm trying to put together here," Thompson said. "I was trying to do as best I could to kill a lot of birds with one stone. I was trying to get size with people who have the ability offensively to do some things and I think we've done that."
Giles averaged 8.3 points per game as a sophomore for Mott Community College in Detroit, which recorded a 35-3 record and won the NJCAA Tournament National Championship. The 6-foot-4 guard said Ball State was a perfect fit for him.
"I really feel like this is a great team with a great coaching staff," Giles said. "I got along with the guys [on the team] when I played with them during my visit. It was like instant chemistry."
Thompson said Giles gives his team good size at the guard position and a much needed consistent shooter on the perimeter. Ball State shot 38.5 percent from the field as a team and 27.2 percent from behind the 3-point arc last season. As a sophomore, Giles connected on 43 percent of his field goal attempts and shot 34.3 percent from behind the 3-point arc.
"He's a kid who can really stretch the defense with his range when he's on the floor," Thompson said. "Defenses really have to pay attention to him because he can shoot from the outside."
Steve Schmidt, who coached Giles the last two years, said the sophomore will fit nicely with the Cardinals on the defensive end as well. Though Giles was a shaky defender when he came to Mott, he has improved drastically during the past two seasons, Schmidt said.
"Defense is the emphasis of our program," Schmidt said. "Our team has been in the top five in the nation in defensive categories throughout the season, so to even play here you have to be a good defender. He has really improved on that end of the floor since his freshman year."
Giles is not the only recruit coming to Ball State after experiencing success at the junior college level. Ford, who transferred to the College of Southern Idaho after spending his freshman year at New Mexico State University, helped the Golden Eagles to a 30-7 record last year.
During that time, Ford averaged 7.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while playing 13.1 minutes per contest. Ford also shot 58 percent from the floor.
Thompson said he wanted to recruit players who came from winning programs.
"As a coach, you want to recruit kids who have a mindset of winning," Thompson said. "It's very important that they have that winning mindset right away when they come into your program. These players have shown they know what it takes to win at [the junior college level]."
Unlike Giles or Ford, Martina is attending Ball State immediately following his high school season. The 6-foot-8 forward/center started playing basketball during his senior year at Deerfield Beach High School in Pompano Beach, Fla. In his senior year, Martina averaged 14 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks per game. Those numbers were good enough to earn him a McDonald's All-America nomination.
"Robert had one heck of a senior year," Thompson said. "His game has just matured and grown over the past couple of years. Before his career is over, if he continues to work, he has the chance to be a really special player."
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