PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – The Prairie View A&M men’s basketball team has inked eight standouts to national letter of intents, head coach Byron Rimm II announced today. Jourdan DeMuynck, Jimmie Duplessis, Ryan Gesiakowski, Louis Munks, Mayol Riathin, Montreal Scott, Richard Walker and Ronald Wright will join the Panthers for the 2011-12 campaign.
Rimm and staff sought players during this signing period that could fill the basket as six of the team’s eight recruits were leading scorers for their respective teams. In addition to their scoring ability, several of the recruits are solid free throw shooters which should address the team’s need in that area.
Jourdan DeMuynck
Guard
6-6 ● 205 ● Junior, J.C.
San Leandro, Calif. ● Chabot College
Earned 2010-11 Honorable Mention All-State and First Team All-Conference Honors (Coast-North Division League)…finished second in his conference with 17 points per game while averaging seven rebounds and four assists…shot 44 percent from the field…ranked fifth in the Coast-North Division League with 3.9 assists and led the league with 2.5 steals.
Jimmie Duplessis
Guard
6-3 ● 185 ● Freshman, H.S.
New Orleans, La. ● Karr
One of the top players in the state of Louisiana…averaged 21.6 points per game as a senior…A New Orleans Times-Picayune All-Metro Team Honoree…earned LSWA Class 4A All-State Honorable Mention Honors.
Ryan Gesiakowski
Guard
6-4 ● 170 ● Junior, J.C.
Albuquerque, N.M. ● Trinidad State College
Led his team in scoring with 17.2 points per game…shot 82.4 percent from the free throw line, 46 percent from the field and 44 percent from the three-point line…tallied 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals…11th-leading scorer in Region IX.
Louis Munks
Guard
6-3 ● 170 ● Sophomore, J.C.
Arlington, Texas ● North Lake College
Led North Lake in scoring with an average of 18.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game…shot 46 percent from the field and finished with a 71 percent clip from the free throw stripe…accounted for 1.1 steals and 1.2 assists per outing.
Mayol Riathin
Post
6-9 ● 215 ● Junior, J.C.
Sudan, Africa ● Southwestern Christian College
Finished as the third-ranked rebounder in the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference with 6.9 per contest…grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds versus Temple College…averaged 1.2 blocks per game…shot 71.9 percent from the free throw line and 44 percent from the field… earned NTJCAC Honorable Mention Honors…one of two players from SWCC to sign with Prairie View.
Montreal Scott
Guard
6-3 ● 170 ● Freshman, H.S.
Dallas, Texas ● Madison
Named as the District 12-3A MVP as a senior…averaged 21.3 points per game…played for one of the top teams in the state of Texas…participated in two Class 3A UIL State Tournaments…intends to major in engineering while at Prairie View A&M.
Richard Walker
Forward
6-7 ● 190 ● Junior, J.C.
Atlanta, Ga. ● Merritt College (Calif.)
Finished as the third-leading rebounder on the team and 10th in the Bay Valley Conference with 7.1 boards per game…shot 46 percent from the field and tallied 26 blocked shots.
Ronald “RJ” Wright
Guard
6-1 ● 180 ● Junior, J.C.
Jacksonville, Fla. ● Southwestern Christian College
Concluded his final season in the JUCO ranks as the leading scorer in the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference with 21.9 points per game…earned NTJCAC First Team Honors…ranked second in steals with 2.3 and dished out 3.8 assists per contest…scored 30 or more points on four occasions in 2010-2011 and 20-plus points 13 times…had a season-high of 34 points (14-of-16 from the field) versus Mountain View College…also shot 53.4 percent from the field…one of two players from SWCC to sign with Prairie View.
Hope Ronald “RJ” Wright is a hidden gem. Unable to find a story on him anywhere on the Net. Who did he score against other than the D III National JUCO champs?