Jimmy Sheldrup |
With the academic year coming to a close, seniors prepare to graduate and leave us for the real world. This years’ class features a number of notable players from both the men’s and women’s basketball programs. The graduating athletes were integral cogs, and will need to be replaced. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams enjoyed successful, capable freshmen throughout their seasons, and now as the seniors depart, they hope to fill in the gaps with new freshmen. The men’s team currently has four players committed for the upcoming season: point guard Jazz Johnson, and forwards Colin Russell, Chiir Maker and Jarrel Marshall. Russell is an aggressive power forward from Folsom, California. He will look to beef up a depleted front court. With numerous post players graduating, Russell’s size will be needed. He is a skilled player, and figures to get some rotation minutes off the bench. Maker, born in Sudan, moved to Australia in the seventh grade. Since his arrival in Australia, Maker has blossomed into a skilled perimeter player. He is explosive, and also has a great shooting touch. “He is a really dynamic wing player,” head coach Eric Reveno said. “It will be really exciting to watch his progress.” Jazz Johnson graduates from Lake Oswego later this year, and looks to make an immediate impact. Johnson, although undersized at 5-foot-11, is a highly skilled, strong point guard. Despite his lack in height, Johnson is a creator, getting open shots for either himself or his teammates. He once scored 44 points in a game against the best high school team in the country, Montverde Academy.
Johnson will likely get a lot of minutes off the bench this upcoming season. “All three of those guys are well suited to fit in here at UP,” Reveno said. “By that I mean that they are going to fit in on campus, they will take full advantage of the academic opportunity, and embrace the campus life and community.” Marshall signed with the Pilots yesterday. Marshall had played at Palm Beach State Junior College for the past two years, earning first team honors in the All-Southern conference in both years. Marshall is a 6-foot-6 forward who averaged 18.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this year. He is versatile, capable of playing both forward positions. He shot three pointers at a 42 percent clip this year, in addition to pulling in 7.1 rebounds. He will be a welcome site for the Pilots, who are looking for depth down low. On the women’s side, recruiting has a very different emphasis. With several perimeter players graduating, the goal of this recruiting season was to replace those holes, building around the nucleus the team currently has. The incoming class features three players who have already committed to playing for the Pilots.There will be anywhere from two to four more players from either high school, junior colleges, or transfers added. Darian Slaga from Phoenix, Arizona is a shooting guard. Skilled at attacking the basket, Slaga will look to continue to develop other aspects of her game. “She is really athletic,” head coach Cheryl Sorenson said. “She is a slasher and a shooter, and it kinda looks into a combination of Jdub (Jazmine Wooten) and Kari (Luttinen).” Ellie Warner is small forward from Sammamish, Washington. A long, lanky player, Warner is something of a jack of all trades. She is capable at scoring, defending, rebounding, etc. Her ability to develop and specialize on offense though, will be what makes her special. Julie Spencer, from nearby Chehalis, Wash. is an athletic post player. At 6-foot-2 Spencer is more athletic than many of her opponents. She replaces Cassandra Thompson who was a very accomplished shooter for the Pilots. Spencer will need to develop her jumper, but given her frame and athleticism, she looks to be a good addition for the team. Both teams are continuing to build around the current recruits. The men are looking to use a few more scholarships, while the women plan on adding a couple more players to their roster. From high schoolers to junior college to transfer players, players from all different backgrounds will be looked at to complete the rosters. The men need to find depth down low, while the women rebound from a disappointing season. Both teams have lost a great number of skilled seniors, and replacing them is a tall order, but it looks like both teams will be coming back fully loaded for next season.
