LSUS Men's Basketball Roster continues to grow AUGUST 09, 2005 Shreveport, LA---Men’s basketball is returning for its junior year at LSUS with new expectations, new goals, and a roster full of new faces. The Pilots 2005 journey ended with a loss in the round of Sweet 16 at the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City, MO, and a final regular season ranking of #7 in the nation. The season’s last game also brought to an end the college careers of five outstanding young men and extremely talented athletes in the likes of Derrick Hill, Justin Collins, Abraham Saxon, David Walker, and Derrick Rogers. “Those 5 guys will be remembered forever here at LSUS.” Commented head coach Chad McDowell just days after returning from the NAIA national tournament. “They will always be family and will be given credit for helping build our program in such a short amount of time. Replacing these guys will be tough. They are more than just great players; they are great young men and fierce competitors.” With such a dramatic roster renewal, most NAIA fans and supporters may be thinking “well, they better have enjoyed the ride while it lasted.” This may be the case for many programs that may have to suffer through the heartache and hard times of a rebuilding year after such a successful run at the ultimate goal of a national championship; this however is not the case for the LSUS Pilots. The Pilot fans are excited to see the returners and the players the have coming in. The LSUS men’s basketball recruiting class earlier this summer announced the signings of former Southwood High School star Josh Porter who transferred from Stephen F. Austin, former Byrd standout Kyle Blankenship who transferred from the University of Tulsa, and Louisiana Tech transfer Jeremy Johnston who finished his high school career at Airline High School. In addition to what was already anticipated to be coach McDowell’s most promising recruiting year, the Pilots are excited to announce the signing of 6’8 small-forward, Anton Palmer, and 6’7 post player Shadrach Roome. Palmer, a native of Chicago, IL, was projected as the 14th best small-forward and the 71st best high school senior in the country by espn.com after averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds at Julian High School in 2001. Palmer attended Schoolcraft Junior College where he led the team to a #18 finish in the National Junior College Athletics Association Division I men’s basketball poll. He averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds and was named the Michigan Community College Athletics Association All-Star Game MVP. In 2004, Palmer was ranked the 9th best small-forward among junior colleges in the country by nbadraft.net. and 10th best by Lindy’s College Basketball magazine. God given ability and athleticism will give Palmer the opportunity to be a dominant force in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. His versatility of being able to shoot from the outside, pass, and handle the ball along with his strength in the low post will add a scoring threat down low the Pilots have been looking for. “He is an incredible player and has put in many hours of hard work this summer anticipating the season” stated McDowell. “He will draw a lot of defensive attention from our opponents has the ability to put up big numbers every single night.” To compliment Johnston and Palmer down low, the signing of Shadrach Roome, a 6’7 transfer from Northeastern State University, home of the 2003 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball national champion, will add depth to the Pilots presence in the post. Roome averaged 5.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in his junior year averaging 21 minutes per game. Roome is the cousin of former Pilot player Abraham Saxon who are natives of the West Indies. Roome and Saxon attended and played high school basketball at Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, LA.. Roome will be looked upon to fill the void of LSUS’ all-time leading shot blocker Derek Hill. His physical attributes along with incredible athleticism completes a trio of post players who will be looked upon to not only rebound and block shots, but also contribute to an already potent LSUS offense. “Shadrach is a man and we are excited about what he brings to our team.” commented McDowell. “He is an incredibly strong player who can run the floor with anyone. He knows one speed and that is wide-open. We look for great things from Shad and feel like he will be able to give us another scoring presence inside that we need.” The Pilots are excited about the season and the team they will put on the floor this upcoming season. McDowell stated, “This recruiting class along with the players we have returning is very strong and have the potential to be a very good team. The challenge is usually the same for most every team and we will be no different. We must play together as a team or we will underachieve. We are confident that these guys are up for the challenge and we are eager to get started.” The final additions to the LSUS roster will be released soon. There is no place like home: LSUS loads 2005-2006 roster with local talent AUGUST 11, 2005 Shreveport, LA: For many coaches, long road trips, fast food, and hours spent in a gym hunting for that special athlete that will help take a program to the next level is the formula for a successful recruiting class. For LSUS head coach Chad McDowell however, most of the talent he was looking for was in his own backyard. The Pilots are returning four players from last year’s team and knew they would have some new faces on the floor with them this year. The four players are good ones and are striving to make it back to Kansas City for the NAIA national tournament. Returning from last year’s team are Freddy Hughes, Fredericko Payne, Carlon Simmons, and Derrick Sowell. Also returning off his red-shirt season last year is Brandon Malveaux. Earlier this summer the Pilots announced the signing of several players that were high school standouts right here in Shreveport/Bossier. Those names include Josh Porter (Southwood), Kyle Blankenship (C.E. Byrd), and Jeremy Johnston (Airline). All three players are transferring in from NCAA Division I programs and are well-known names in this area. After announcing the signing of Anton Palmer of Chicago, Illinois, and Shadrach Roome of the West Indies this past week, the LSUS Pilots have released their 2005-2006 roster in its entirety. The roster continued to be filled with strong local talent which includes several high school standouts. Jariel Norton (Homer High School), Chris Wafer (Captain Shreve High School), and Damien Goff (Northwood-Lena) will be competing in their first year of college basketball this season. Greg Tyer (Airline High School) decided to transfer from Northwestern State University and will play his last two years for the Pilots. The Pilots also picked up a transfer from Jacksonville Community College in Chad Hardy out of St. Fancisville, Louisiana. Greg Tyer, a junior transfer from Northwestern State University and former Airline high School standout under Coach Myles Holladay announced he will join the LSUS Pilots for the next two seasons. Tyer is a 6’4 forward from Bossier City who has the unique ability to play inside if called upon and shoots the ball for a high percentage from the outside. Tyer saw limited action with NSU in 2004 and decided to transfer to LSUS where he plans on contributing to what hopes to be a championship season at LSUS. “Greg is a great addition to our team.” commented McDowell. “He was a very good high school player who played for a great coach in Myles Holladay. We are thrilled that he has decided to finish his education and eligibility here at LSUS. I’m excited about the opportunity to coach him and I am sure his friends and family are excited to see him play.” The Pilots have also added a 6’5 post player from Captain Shreve High School in Chris Wafer. Wafer earned All-District honors his senior year while playing under Coach Todd Martinez. His physical strength, size, and ability to rebound will help fill the void of graduate Abraham Saxon. “Chris will make his presence felt early this season and will fight for the ball every second he plays,” commented McDowell. “He is a rebounding machine. His physical presence along with his knowledge of the game will make him a great addition to our team. Chris was well coached by Todd Martinez at Captain Shreve High School and it shows in his play with our guys. People will have a hard time believing he has four years left to play.” After exhausting the immediate local resources (Shreveport/Bossier), McDowell stretched out just a few miles by signing Homer High School’s Jariel Norton. Norton earned 1st-Team All-State Academic Team honors after accumulating a 4.0 gpa and was the valedictorian of his graduating class. His basketball accomplishments include 1st-Team All-District and All-State honors as he averaged over 26 points and 6 assists a game. At 6’1, this freshman guard has the ability to hit the open shot and has potential to become a solid player for the Pilots. “Jariel is a coach’s dream as an incoming freshman.” stated McDowell. “This young man has it all together on and off the floor.