With the addition of a guard/forward Monday, the Ball State University men's basketball team completed its signing class for the 2009-10 season.
Coach Billy Taylor announced Monday that Myron Green Jr. signed a national letter of intent to join the Cardinals. Green joined point guard Huzie Hambrite and guard Jauwan Scaife, who both signed in November, to complete this year's class.
"I really like the three young men that we've signed and that are going to be coming to our program," Taylor said. "I think they'll be able to help us in different ways, and it adds to the nucleus of the program and the strength that we're building on."
Taylor said he focused on adding guards for the upcoming season because Ball State lost four guards to graduation - Laron Frazier, Rob Giles, Brandon Lampley and Anthony Newell. Of the five Cardinals to average more than 25 minutes per game last season, four of them were the graduating guards.
The three incoming freshmen will join Randy Davis, Brawley Chisholm and Pierre Sneed to make up the Cardinals' back court.
"We've got some returning guys coming back, in terms of our back court play, but we needed some more depth, and we needed to make sure we had enough bodies to be able to really make it a competitive challenge for those minutes in the back court," Taylor said.
Scout.com rated Scaife as a two-star prospect. It rated Green and Hambrite as one-star prospects.
Green is a very versatile player from Carson, Calif., who can be a shooting guard or small forward, Taylor said. He was four-year letter winner and three-year starter in high school. The 6-foot 4-inch player averaged 15.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a senior. As a junior, his team made the California Interscholastic Federation state championship game.
Green has the ability to shoot from the perimeter and drive to the basket, Taylor said.
"He's got a nice skill set, and I think it's coming at a time where we have some needs in the back court," Taylor said. "Hopefully he'll take advantage of the opportunity and push hard and try to get some minutes."
Hambrite spent the past two seasons at Lake Land College in Illinois. The 6-foot point guard led the team with 16 points per game, 101 assists and 29 steals as a freshman. He played his high school ball at Northwest High School in Indianapolis.
Hambrite has terrific speed and athleticism, Taylor said. He can get into the paint, break down defenses and hopefully will be able to create scoring opportunities for the rest of the Cardinals, the coach said.
Scaife is from Muncie Central High School and is the cousin of former Ball State and NBA player Bonzi Wells. The 6-foot 2-inch guard averaged 14.5 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game as a junior. Like Green, Taylor said Scaife has the ability to play multiple positions.
"Jauwan's a terrific shooter," Taylor said. "He's someone that's had a lot of success at Muncie Central. I think he is a leader. I think he's someone that can really do a great job for us here at Ball State."
With the loss of the four seniors, Taylor said, the three new Cardinals will all be given a chance to compete for playing time next season.
"It's going to be very competitive in our back court," Taylor said. "There's going to be a lot of minutes available for action."
The Cardinals are coming off a season in which they tied for the Mid-American Conference West Division championship. Ball State, which lost to the University at Buffalo in the MAC Tournament semifinals, went 14-17 and 7-9 in MAC play.
Taylor, who finished his second year as the Ball State head coach, said he wants to continue to advance the program and position his team to win a MAC championship.
"Our team is still going to be very young next year," Taylor said. "We'll have a lot of guys in that freshman and sophomore class. But I like the talent that we have in the program. More importantly, I like the character that we have in the program."
Signed playersThe men's basketball team signed three new players for the 2009-10 season.
Huzie Hambrite, Guard/Forward
Previous schools: Lake Land College, Northwest High School
Height: 6-02007-08 Stats:
- 16 points per game
- 101 assists
- 29 steals
Jauwan Scaife, Guard/Forward
Previous school: Muncie Central High School
Height: 6-22007-08 Stats:
- 14.5 points per game
- 4.1 rebounds per game
- 46.9 percent field goal percentage
Myron Green Jr., Guard
Previous school: Dominquez High School (Carson, Calif.)
Height: 6-42008-09 Stats:
- 15.5 points per game
- 6.0 rebounds per game
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