Jarmar Gulley
Missouri State men's basketball head coach Paul Lusk announced his first signee of the spring recruiting period Friday (April 15) when recruit Jarmar Gulley (6-4, 225, G/F, Beaumont, Texas) made his commitment official.
Gulley was a two-time NJCAA Division II All-American at Highland (Kan.) Community College and scored a school-record 1,400 points in his two seasons at Highland. He earned first-team All-America honors in 2010-11 after helping the Scotties to a 22-14 record and Regional title. He was a third-team All-American selection in 2009-10.
"First of all, he's a guy who can score in a variety of ways," Lusk said. "He does a great job of driving and getting to the line. He's a great person, and we're excited to have him join the Bears family."
Gulley averaged 23.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this season and earned first-team all-Region VI and KJCCC All-Conference honors for the second straight season. As a sophomore, he collected 2.3 assists, 2.2 steals and made 77 percent of his free throw attempts. He was also named to the NJCAA Division II All-Tournament Team.
"Jarmar definitely left his mark on our program," said Highland head coach Jerre Cole. "He is a real, all-around player who helped us put our program here on the right track and helped our team play its best basketball at the end of the season."
Gulley was ranked No. 47 on the JucoJunction.com recruiting list for the class of 2011.
As a prep senior at Beaumont (Texas) Central High, he won the James Gamble "Mr. Inside" Award as a senior. He averaged 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots a game in 2008-09. He was also the co-MVP of Texas District 20 in Class 4A and was a standout hurdler.
Anthony Downing
Missouri State head coach Paul Lusk announced on Monday (April 18) that 6-foot-1 guard Anthony Downing (6-1, 180, G, Atchison, Kan.) has officially signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball for the Bears.
Downing played the last two seasons at Independence (Kan.) Community College and is ranked No. 54 on the JucoJunction.com recruiting list for he class of 2011. He led the Pirates to a 23-9 record in 2010-11 with a team-high 161 assists and just 80 turnovers. He finished second on the club in scoring (18.0), rebounding (5.1) and steals (60), while knocking down a team-high 57 three-pointers.
"We are very excited for Anthony to join us at Missouri State," Lusk said. "He is a player who can play well with the ball in his hands or without. He is a very good scorer, and physically he is ready for the Missouri Valley."
Downing earned first-team All Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference and NJCAA Division I all-region honors in 2011 for coach Patrick Nee. He went on to claim all-regional tournament distinction as well for the Pirates who won 14 of their last 18 contests to close out the season.
He was part of a 19-12 program at Independence in 2009-10 his redshirt freshman year and led the squad in scoring at 15.5 points per contest. He also grabbed 3.9 rebounds and dished out 91 assists in 30 contests while connecting on 72 three-pointers and snagging 43 steals.
"Throughout the recruiting process, I have been impressed with his ability," Lusk said. "But most importantly, I have been impressed with his family and the people around him. He is a quality person and will be a great addition to our family here."
He earned Kansas Class 4A all-state honors as a senior in 2008 after averaging 23.6 points and 5.0 assists per game for coach George Ross, Jr., at Atchison High.
Corbin Thomas
Missouri State University men's basketball coach Paul Lusk announced late Saturday (May 14) the signing of junior college forward Corbin Thomas to a National Letter of Intent to play for the Bears.
Thomas is a 6-foot-6, 220-pound NJCAA All-America who led Southwestern Illinois Community College in Belleville to a 20-10 season in 2010-11. He averaged 14.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for the Blue Storm as a sophomore, earning first-team all-conference and third-team All-America distinction. He also led the club in field goal percentage at .642 and was runner-up for NJCAA Region 24 Player of the Year. He was also runner-up for the Great Rivers Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
"Corbin is a great player and a great individual who will help our team in a number of ways," Lusk said. "I want to welcome him to the Bears' family and am very excited about what he brings to our program."
A product of Dolton, Ill., and Seton Academy in Chicago, Thomas is ranked No. 44 on the SportingQuest.com Top 50 Wish List and is the No. 13 sophomore on the BluMillSports.com Illinois juco recruiting site. He missed a majority of his freshman season with ulcerated colitis, but managed to average 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and shoot 73 percent at the free throw line in limited action.
"He is an outstanding young man and is definitely among the top 10 players I have worked with in more than 35 years of coaching," said SWIC head coach Jay Harrington. "He is our 11th All-American player in 11 years, which is great for our program. Missouri State is most fortunate to get him."
Harrington has multiple connections to Lusk and the Missouri State program. Lusk's first coaching job was as an assistant at SWIC under Harrington during the 1996-97 season. Harrington also coached former Bear Tony Davis who signed with MSU in 1995 under then-coach Steve Alford. Finally, Harrington's daughter Morgan played with the Missouri State Lady Bears for two seasons (2008-10) before transferring to Lindenwood University where she was an NAIA honorable mention All-America selection in 2011.
Thomas helped Seton Academy to a 2009 IHSA state title after averaging 11.6 points and 7.5 rebounds as a senior. He shot 58 percent from the field and helped Ken Stevenson's Sting to a 31-2 overall record and the school's first-ever trip to the state tournament. He tallied 25 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in an 83-63 win over Massac County in the AA championship game. He earned honorable mention all-state honors, was a McDonald's All-America nominee and earned Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Month honors his senior season.
Michael Bizoukas
Missouri State will welcome DePaul transfer Michael Bizoukas to its men's basketball program for the 2011-12 season, head coach Paul Lusk announced May 18. Bizoukas completed his undergraduate degree in management at DePaul this spring and chose to transfer for his final season of eligibility.
He will be eligible to play for the Bears immediately due to NCAA post-graduate transfer rules.
Bizoukas is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound point guard who signed with the Blue Demons out of Munster High School in Munster, Ind. He earned a medical redshirt after his freshman season in 2007-08 and has played in 86 total games at DePaul. During his junior season in 2010-11, he played in 28 contests, averaging 16.0 minutes and posting an impressive 2.55 assist-to-turnover ratio as a top reserve for the Big East program.
"Michael is a seasoned veteran who can come in and help our program right away," Lusk said. "He is a smart player, takes care of the basketball and will represent our program well in the classroom and on the floor. We are thrilled to have him as part of the Missouri State family."
Though the Blue Demons lost 18 of their final 19 games to end a 7-24 campaign, Bizoukas was a model of consistency off the bench for coach Oliver Purnell. He finished fourth on the club in assists (51) and steals (26), while averaging 1.3 points and 1.5 rebounds. Down the stretch, he averaged 2.5 assists over the last 10 contests and earned 20 minutes or more in five of DePaul's last nine games.
As a sophomore, he was named to the Big East All-Academic Team and earned seven starts, averaging 19.6 minutes, 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds. He also made good on 10-of-19 (.526) three-point field goals in 2009-10 and notched a pair of eight-assist efforts. He also posted nine rebounds against UIC on Dec. 13, 2009.
During his redshirt freshman season, he had six starts, led the Blue Demons in assists seven times, and finished the year averaging 2.0 points and 1.6 rebounds.
As a standout prep performer, Bizoukas held a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in high school and was a Street & Smith's All-America honorable mention selection his senior year. He averaged 15.7 points, 6.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game in 2006-07 for coach Mike Hackett. He also played in the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Game, earned first-team All-State and Academic All-State laurels, and was named regional MVP by the Indianapolis Star.
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These following high school players have also committed to attend Missouri State this upcoming season:
Christian Kirk
Christian Kirk (6-7, 220, F, Springfield, Mo., Kickapoo High) ... although ineligible for his senior season due to Missouri transfer rules, he is ranked as Missouri's No. 3 senior by ESPN.com. He competed the last two seasons at St. Charles (Mo.) West High and has a 40-inch vertical jump. Both ESPN.com and Rivals.com rate Kirk as a three-star prospect who rebounds well, runs the floor and can finish off the dribble. He scored 17.9 points per game at St. Charles West as a junior with 8.8 rebounds, 114 assists and 49 blocks. He also averaged 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds as a sophomore.
Dorrian Williams
Dorrian Williams (6-1, 170, G, Oklahoma City, Okla., Douglass High) ... is also a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and ESPN.com and averaged 13.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game in leading the Trojans to a 25-4 record and second straight Class 4A title. He scored 37 points in three games at the state tournament and earned second-team all-tournament honors. Last year, he helped lead Douglass High to a perfect 29-0 season, averaging 11.2 points as a junior for coach Terry Long to go with 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 steals. He has a reputation as a lock-down defender and an athletic point who can play both guard positions. He possesses a good mid-range game and a solid three-point shot to go with good floor vision. Douglass finished second at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, held at MSU, in January.
Drew Wilson
Andrew (Drew) Wilson (6-7, 200, F, Tulsa, Okla., East Central High) ... averaged 15.0 points and 12.4 rebounds per game his senior season, while leading Tulsa East Central into the 5A playoffs and a final record of 15-6. He is a long and athletic, power forward who is rated by ESPN.com as the No. 6 overall senior in the state of Oklahoma. Last year, he averaged 15.0 points, 14.1 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots per game as a junior for coach Beau Wallace and led the Cardinals to a 21-6 finish a year ago and advanced to the state semifinals. He is also regarded as a good offensive and defensive rebounder who excels in transition. According to Martin, his game is solid inside and outside, and he has good upside and potential. He has a reputation as a competitor on the glass who can also get baskets in heavy traffic.
The spring signing period runs April 13 through May 18.
