Pack hoops inks seven for 2010-11

PUEBLO, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com – June 15, 2010) – The Colorado State University-Pueblo men's basketball program has announced the addition of seven new recruits for the 2010-11 season, CSU-Pueblo head men's basketball coach, Patrick Eberhart, announced Tuesday.

The ThunderWolves secured three California area junior college transfers, Andre Martin (San Diego,Calif./Mt. Miguel HS/Merritt College), Jordan Richard (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Los Osos HS/Riverside C.C.) and Calvin Otiono (Sacramento, Calif./Sheldon HS/San Joaquin Delta J.C.), two standouts from Kansas junior colleges, Leon Flowers, Jr. (Wichita, Kan./East HS/Hutchinson C.C.) and Mykael Thompson (Dodge City,Kan./Dodge City HS/Dodge City C.C.), and another all the way from Maryland, Kevin Coates (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis HS/Anne Arundel C.C.).  Also joining the team next season is Pueblo East High School standout, Mitch Secora (Pueblo, Colo./East HS)

Headlining the group is Martin, a 6-foot-5 guard, who may end up being the find of this class after coming over from Merritt College in Oakland, Calif.  Martin played two seasons at Merritt, his best year coming during his freshman campaign, when he averaged 10.8 points per game with 5.67 assists and 3.43 steals per contest.  If he were to duplicate those numbers with the ThunderWolves, he would have turned in one of the top seasons in school history in terms of assists and steals.  Martin was the team's only early signee, inking with the team prior to the 2009-10 season.

"Dre is an athletic wing can play the one, two or three," Eberhart said.  "He is a very good athlete, is able to make plays, and brings size to our wing position that we haven't had before."

Richard, a 6-foot-10 post, will bring immediate size to the low post for the ThunderWolves.  Last season, with Riverside Community College in Riverside, Calif., Richard averaged 10.9 points per game in leading Riverside to a 23-7 record. 

"Jordan will give us size at the post that we haven't had since Jake Trahern was in our program," Eberhart said.  "He is very athletic for his size, can score around the basket, and can even play on the perimeter.  He brings true athleticism to the post and will make an impact right away."

Otiono, a 6-foot-2 guard from San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif., recorded 12.3 points per game last season, averaging 6.2 assists and 4.5 boards per game.  As a freshman, he was nearly as good, going for 10.8 points per game and 4.3 assists per contest.  He will continue a tradition of San Joaquin Delta transfers coming into the program, following in the footsteps of all-conference guard, Roman Van Allen, who graduated in 2010.

"Calvin is extremely smart and knows how to run a team," Eberhart said.  "He has great leadership ability, is a good defender and does a good job scoring off the dribble."

Coates, a 6-foot-4 forward, earned NJCAA all-Region XX honors at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Md.  He averaged a double-double in 2010 with 14.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.  He can ball it up from three, hitting nearly 40 percent of his three-point attempts, and showed great strength in the transition with an assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly 2.0.  During his freshman season at Anne Arundel, Coates was almost as good, nearly averaging a double-double with 13.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

"Kevin is a versatile player who can play the four or the five for us," Eberhart said.  "He brings toughness to our front line guys, and has the ability to score around the basket against bigger guys by using his speed.  He also has the ability to step out on the perimeter and be a threat, which will be huge in our offensive game plan."

Thompson, a 6-foot-2 guard from Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, Kan., averaged 8.5 points per game in 2010 and 6.5 points per game over his two seasons at Dodge City. 

"Mykael is an athletic wing who is a very good defender and is explosive to the basket," Eberhart said.  "He brings good size to the perimeter and can also play the point for us."

Flowers, a 6-foot-4 guard from Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kan., averaged 7.8 points per game along with 3.4 rebounds in 2010 in leading Hutchinson to a 27-6 record as a freshman.  Flowers will have three years of eligibility with the ThunderWolves. 

"Leon is long, athletic, and has a very good mid-range game," Eberhart said.  "He has the ability to shoot it from three and can make an impact for us right away."

Finally, Secora, the local product, a 6-foot-7 post, helped lead the East Eagles to within one win of the school's first ever state championship in 2010.  He averaged 13.3 points per game in 2009-10 as the Eagles rolled to a 25-2 record and a South Central League Championship.

"We've been watching Mitch since his freshman year," Eberhart said, "and we believe he has progressed every year and has gotten considerably better.  We think his best basketball is ahead of him and we hope he can become one of our better post players in the years to come."

Overall, the class will help repopulate a team that lost all five of its starters to graduation in 2010 after advancing to the RMAC semifinals for the second consecutive year.  It is likely that a fair number of these players will start immediately, Eberhart said, and brings a staggering level of depth to the team, as the talent level will be high from one through 15.

"This class is athletic, deep, and one that we hope can make an impact from day one," Eberhart said.  "With our returners, this class will help to add a lot of depth to our team and allow us to maintain an up-tempo level of basketball."

The 2010-11 edition of the ThunderWolves kicks off their season Nov. 19 when the Pack hosts the annual Al Kaly Classic at CSU-Pueblo's Massari Arena.