Kentucky Wesleyan basketball completed their 2010-11 recruiting class by adding Keith Biggers from Coffeyville Community College (Kan.); Jason Hall from West Hills Community College (Calif.); Brandon Johnson from Fresno City Community College (Calif.); Cardell McFarland from Missouri State University; and Marseilles Stewart from Foothill Community College (Calif.), as announced by Panther head coach
Todd Lee.
“We feel great about our recruiting class, from a talent standpoint, this is the best we have had in my five years at KWC," said Lee. "We have a very good nucleus of players back that have had a lot of success here and they will be counted on the help the new players adjust to our system and our level of play.
Biggers, a 6-foot-6, 250-pound, forward from Champaign, Ill. (Central HS), earned All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference honors at Coffeyville in 2010. He led the Ravens in rebounds (7.1 rpg) and field goal shooting (61.3%) while finishing second in steals (24) and third in scoring (10.5 ppg) in 28 contests as a sophomore. He set career highs of 20 points and 15 rebounds this past season.
”Keith is a very strong athletic post player that will help us with our interior scoring and rebounding," Lee commented. "He's a very physically tough player and comes from one of the best junior college programs in the country. Keith will be a very good defender for us with his size and strength. He also has the ability to score the ball both inside and from the perimeter and he will improve in our system.”
Hall, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound, guard from Philadelphia, Pa. (William Penn HS), captured All-Central Valley Conference recognition as he led West Hills in three-pointers made (64) and three-point shooting (43.8) in 20 games. He finished second in scoring (19.2) and third in rebounding (4.3), assists (2.2) and steals (24) in 2010. He scored a career high 35 points as a sophomore for the Falcons.
Lee said, ”Jason is an excellent shooter and offensive player. He has the ability to shoot the ball extremely well from a spot and also on the move. Jason is also a very good passer and has a good feel for the game. He will stretch the defense with his ability to shoot, which also sets him up to attack the rim. We will be able to set screens for him to create shots and he will also be very good in transition, when we push the ball.”
Johnson, a 6-foot, 190-pound guard from Fresno, Calif. (Cloves West HS), gained first-team All-California distinction and won the Central Valley Conference Most Valuable Player Award at Fresno City in 2010. He led the Rams in field goal shooting (55.6) and ended as the second leading scorer (13.0) in starting all 30 contests. Johnson produced a career high of 38 points as a sophomore.
”Brandon is an extremely physical and tough guard that has the ability to defend multiple positions," stated Lee. "He has the ability to play both guard positions and can really attack the rim with his dribble drive. His strength and athleticism will be a great fit for the team. He will improve his ability to shoot the ball this summer because he is a worker that loves the game.”
McFarland, a 6-foot-2, 180 pound, guard from Evansville, Ind. (Bosse HS/Bridgton Academy), averaged five points and 17.8 minutes in five games as a sophomore in 2010 for Missouri State. As a freshman, he started 19 of 29 games where he averaged 6.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 22.0 minutes. He shot 42.7 percent from the field, 29.5 percent from the arc and 76.8 from the free throw stripe for the Bears.
”Cardell is a very physically tough player who we will count on to help us run the team," says Lee. "He's a very good shooter, athlete and has a good feel for the game. He also has the ability to guard multiple positions because of his quickness and toughness. His experience will be very important to our group this year.”
Stewart, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound, guard from San Francisco (International Studies Academy), collected first-team All-California and All-Coast-North Conference recognition in 2010 at Foothill. He led the Owls in three-pointers made (64), three-point shooting (41.1) and rebounds (6.9), and finished as the second leading scorer (14.8) in 30 contests. He posted career highs of 27 points and 13 rebounds as a sophomore.
Lee added, ”Marseilles a very unique player, with his body type and skill set. He's very strong and has the ability to post up smaller players and take bigger players out on the floor. He shoots the ball very well and will cause match-up problems for our foes because of his size. His skill as an excellent rebounder lies in his great hands and strength.”
They join previous signees Travis Johnston, a 5-foot-11 guard from Grayson County (Ky.) High School and Anthony Young, a 6-foot-6 forward from Kankakee Community College (Ill.).
"We have a chance to be very good with this group, when we get everyone on the same page and playing for one purpose.”
The Panthers return three starters from last season's 29-5 team that earned a record breaking 36th trip to the NCAA tournament.