Pack adds three JuCo products for 2008-09
The CSU-Pueblo men's basketball program has announced the addition of three west coast junior college transfers to the ThunderWolves for 2008-09.
The ThunderWolves have inked Los Angeles Southwest College's Demetrius "DJ" Turner, San Joaquin Delta (CA) College's Roman Van Allen, and Scottsdale (AZ) College's Jerry "LJ" Jones.
Turner, a 6-foot-5 guard from Compton, Calif. who had spent time at Cerritos (CA) College as a freshman before transferring to L.A. Southwest, established himself as one of the top junior college products in the country. Before sitting out most of 2007-08 to tend to family issues, he was one of the top players on Cerritos in 2006-07, averaging 16.4 points and 3.8 rebounds for the year. He shot 38 percent from three and 77 percent from the free throw line. Upon graduating from LA Southwest, he was ranked as the 54th best junior college sophomore in the country according to Rivals.com.
"DJ can play any position on the perimeter," Pack coach Pat Eberhart said. "He shoot the three, and can put it on the floor. He has all the tools to be a really good player in the RMAC and will definitely be a hard matchup for anybody in the league.
Van Allen, a standout 5-foot-11 guard who helped lead San Joaquin Delta to a conference-best 27-6 record, tops in the California Community College Athletic Association Big 8, showed the ability to be a two-way threat. He sank nearly 54 percent of his three-point attempts, tops among all CCCAA players, en route to a 13.9 PPG average. He also averaged 3.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.8 steals per game, which was also 9th in the CCCAA. Van Allen is a Reno, Nev. native who graduated from Reno High School.
"He's as smart as anybody we've recruited," Eberhart said. "He has a high basketball IQ and his skillset is really good. He will be a good playmaker for us."
Between Van Allen and Turner, the Pack acquires to perimeter threats that can step in right away and produce. Alongside the Pack's returning second-team all-conference guard, Rome Smith, the trio could give the ThunderWolves one of the top backcourts in the conference.
"What DJ and Roman do is give us another threat shooting the ball and putting the ball on the floor," Eberhart said. "Alongside Rome, we will have three guys who can shoot the three."
Shoring up the middle is Jones, a 6-foot-7 Phoenix, Ariz. native who averaged a double-double at Scottsdale Community College in 2007-08, one of only two players in the entire conference to do so last season. Jones averaged 13.3 points per game and 10.6 boards, second most in the conference. He also averaged nearly two blocks per game and shot nearly 56 percent from the field.
"LJ gives us another great physical presence around the basket," Eberhart said. "He's extremely athletic, and he can step out 13 to 15 feet from the basket and shoot the jump shot."
Jones will partner with the Pack's senior big man, Jake Trahern, to give the Pack a formidable duo on the post.
"[Jones] finishes plays at the basket, and with him and Jake, it gives us a really strong physical presence and a good offensive one-two punch on the inside."
