Verb
11-12-2008, 10:20 PM
Cowboy Basketball Signs Six to National LOIs
Courtesy: okstate.com
Release: 11/12/2008
Stillwater, Okla. -
Six high school seniors signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball for Oklahoma State and head coach Travis Ford, beginning with the 2009-10 academic year, it was announced today. All six players will join the Cowboy program as freshmen next season.
“We hit the ground running and even I have been a little impressed with what we’ve gotten accomplished in such a short period of time with some of these players who have been recruited nationally for a very long time at the highest level,” said Ford. “It’s a group of guys that fit a lot of different needs. What I like about every one of them is that they’re all extremely versatile. Every one of them can play a lot of different positions.”
A consensus four-star forward from Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, N.C., Karron Johnson is ranked as the 45th-best player nationally according to Rivals.com, including the No. 14 power forward. He had scholarship offers from Memphis, Georgetown, Miami (Fla.), Cincinnati, West Virginia, NC State, Virginia and Seton Hall.
Another consensus four-star forward, Roger Franklin has been rated as high as the 43rd-best player nationally according to Scout.com. The Duncanville, Texas, native is also ranked as the No. 9 small forward by the recruiting service. Franklin chose OSU over offers from UCLA, Arizona, Michigan State and Oklahoma.
Ray Penn, a point guard from the Houston area, has been ranked as high as the 29th-overall best player in the country by Hoopmasters.com. He is a four-star guard according to Rivals.com, and is also rated as the No. 9 point guard in the 2009 class. He chose the Cowboys over offers from Missouri, TCU and Mississippi State.
Reger Dowell is a top-150 national prospect at the point guard position. He has been ranked as high as No. 135 on the Rivals.com top national players list and the 23rd-best point guard nationally be the same recruiting service. He chose OSU over Baylor, Texas A&M, Marquette and Nebraska.
A consensus three-star recruit, Fred Gulley was the first commitment for the 2009 class. The high school Gatorade player of the year for Arkansas as a junior a year ago, Gulley is ranked as the No. 16 point guard in the country by Scout.com. He chose Oklahoma State over offers from Arkansas, Missouri, Stanford, California and Georgia Tech.
The final Cowboy signee is consensus three-star center Torin Walker. A 6-11 post player from Columbus, Ga., Walker is considered the 14th-best center prospect in the country according to ESPNU’s recruiting website. He chose OSU over Georgia, Auburn, Florida State, Florida, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee, Xavier and Virginia Tech.
“I really like this team,” Ford said. “I like this team because they can all shoot the basketball. They’re all skilled basketball players, and when I look at basketball players, that’s what I look for, guys who can shoot, pass and dribble. All these guys can do that. All these guys play on successful high school teams, which is something we’re excited about, because they’re used to winning.”
2009 Oklahoma State Cowboy Basketball Signees
Name Ht Wt Pos Hometown (High School) Nat’l Position Ranking
Reger Dowell 6-0 170 G Duncanville, Texas (Duncanville HS) Rivals.com No. 23 PG
Roger Franklin 6-5 215 F Duncanville, Texas (Duncanville HS) Scout.com No. 9 SF
Fred Gulley 6-2 175 G Fayetteville, Ark. (Fayetteville HS) Scout.com No. 16 PG
Karron Johnson 6-7 225 F Richmond, Va. (Mount Zion [N.C.]) Rivals.com No. 14 PF
Ray Penn 5-9 170 G Richmond, Texas (Travis HS) Rivals.com No. 9 PG
Torin Walker 6-11 230 C Columbus, Ga. (Northside HS) ESPNU.com No. 14 C
2009 Oklahoma State Signing Class Briefs
Reger Dowell • 6-0, 170, Guard
Dowell is the starting point guard for the Duncanville Panthers, a Class 5A school just north of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. He ranks as the No. 135 player in the country according to Rivals.com and the No. 138 player according to Hoopmasters. Reger (pronounced ‘redge-ERR’) was also recruited by Baylor, Texas A&M, Nebraska and Marquette. He is an integral part of why Duncanville is the preseason No. 1 team in the country according to ESPNRISE and PrepNation.
Roger Franklin • 6-5, 215, Forward
Franklin is a wing player for Duncanville who can play either guard or forward. He has the ability to bang inside or play along the perimeter. He led the Panthers to the Class 5A state title in 2007. Franklin is rated as the No. 9 small forward and 43rd-best player overall nationally by Scout.com and the No. 42 player in the country according to Hoopmasters. Roger was also recruited by Arizona, Michigan State, Oklahoma and UCLA. He is a major part of why Duncanville is the preseason No. 1 team in the country according to ESPNRISE and PrepNation.
Fred Gulley • 6-2, 175, Guard
Gulley is a starting guard for the Fayetteville High School Bulldogs. He was named the Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior last season. He averaged 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in leading his team to the conference title. Gulley is ranked as the No. 16 point guard in the country according to Scout.com. He was also recruited by Arkansas, Missouri, Stanford, California and Georgia Tech.
Karron Johnson • 6-7, 225, Forward
Considered one of the top big men in the country, Johnson is rated as one of the top-20 power forwards in the country by all three major recruiting services. Rivals.com ranks him as the No. 45 overall player in the country and the 14th-best PF. He is a four-star forward according to Scout.com as well, and grades out as 93 on a scale of 1 to 100 by ESPNU. Karron was also recruited by Memphis, Georgetown, Miami (Fla.), Cincinnati, West Virginia, NC State, Virginia and Seton Hall.
Ray Penn • 5-9, 170, Guard
Penn is a point guard out of Travis High School in Richmond, Texas, just outside of Houston. He broke onto the recruiting scene last summer when he was the leading scorer at the RBK Summer Championships with 35.8 points per game. He is ranked as the No. 9 point guard in the country by Rivals.com and the 29th-best player overall nationally by Hoopmasters. He chose Oklahoma State after also being recruited by Missouri, Mississippi State and TCU.
Torin Walker • 6-11, 230, Center
Walker is a long, lanky big man who is a very effective shot blocker, rebounder and high- or low-post position player. He has very good shooting range and accuracy for his size and exceptionally long arms. He averaged 17 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots per game as a junior, and was named all-region. He is rated as the No. 14 center nationally by ESPNU. Torin was also recruited by Georgia, Auburn, Florida State, Florida, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee, Xavier and Virginia Tech.
Courtesy: okstate.com
Release: 11/12/2008
Stillwater, Okla. -
Six high school seniors signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball for Oklahoma State and head coach Travis Ford, beginning with the 2009-10 academic year, it was announced today. All six players will join the Cowboy program as freshmen next season.
“We hit the ground running and even I have been a little impressed with what we’ve gotten accomplished in such a short period of time with some of these players who have been recruited nationally for a very long time at the highest level,” said Ford. “It’s a group of guys that fit a lot of different needs. What I like about every one of them is that they’re all extremely versatile. Every one of them can play a lot of different positions.”
A consensus four-star forward from Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, N.C., Karron Johnson is ranked as the 45th-best player nationally according to Rivals.com, including the No. 14 power forward. He had scholarship offers from Memphis, Georgetown, Miami (Fla.), Cincinnati, West Virginia, NC State, Virginia and Seton Hall.
Another consensus four-star forward, Roger Franklin has been rated as high as the 43rd-best player nationally according to Scout.com. The Duncanville, Texas, native is also ranked as the No. 9 small forward by the recruiting service. Franklin chose OSU over offers from UCLA, Arizona, Michigan State and Oklahoma.
Ray Penn, a point guard from the Houston area, has been ranked as high as the 29th-overall best player in the country by Hoopmasters.com. He is a four-star guard according to Rivals.com, and is also rated as the No. 9 point guard in the 2009 class. He chose the Cowboys over offers from Missouri, TCU and Mississippi State.
Reger Dowell is a top-150 national prospect at the point guard position. He has been ranked as high as No. 135 on the Rivals.com top national players list and the 23rd-best point guard nationally be the same recruiting service. He chose OSU over Baylor, Texas A&M, Marquette and Nebraska.
A consensus three-star recruit, Fred Gulley was the first commitment for the 2009 class. The high school Gatorade player of the year for Arkansas as a junior a year ago, Gulley is ranked as the No. 16 point guard in the country by Scout.com. He chose Oklahoma State over offers from Arkansas, Missouri, Stanford, California and Georgia Tech.
The final Cowboy signee is consensus three-star center Torin Walker. A 6-11 post player from Columbus, Ga., Walker is considered the 14th-best center prospect in the country according to ESPNU’s recruiting website. He chose OSU over Georgia, Auburn, Florida State, Florida, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee, Xavier and Virginia Tech.
“I really like this team,” Ford said. “I like this team because they can all shoot the basketball. They’re all skilled basketball players, and when I look at basketball players, that’s what I look for, guys who can shoot, pass and dribble. All these guys can do that. All these guys play on successful high school teams, which is something we’re excited about, because they’re used to winning.”
2009 Oklahoma State Cowboy Basketball Signees
Name Ht Wt Pos Hometown (High School) Nat’l Position Ranking
Reger Dowell 6-0 170 G Duncanville, Texas (Duncanville HS) Rivals.com No. 23 PG
Roger Franklin 6-5 215 F Duncanville, Texas (Duncanville HS) Scout.com No. 9 SF
Fred Gulley 6-2 175 G Fayetteville, Ark. (Fayetteville HS) Scout.com No. 16 PG
Karron Johnson 6-7 225 F Richmond, Va. (Mount Zion [N.C.]) Rivals.com No. 14 PF
Ray Penn 5-9 170 G Richmond, Texas (Travis HS) Rivals.com No. 9 PG
Torin Walker 6-11 230 C Columbus, Ga. (Northside HS) ESPNU.com No. 14 C
2009 Oklahoma State Signing Class Briefs
Reger Dowell • 6-0, 170, Guard
Dowell is the starting point guard for the Duncanville Panthers, a Class 5A school just north of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. He ranks as the No. 135 player in the country according to Rivals.com and the No. 138 player according to Hoopmasters. Reger (pronounced ‘redge-ERR’) was also recruited by Baylor, Texas A&M, Nebraska and Marquette. He is an integral part of why Duncanville is the preseason No. 1 team in the country according to ESPNRISE and PrepNation.
Roger Franklin • 6-5, 215, Forward
Franklin is a wing player for Duncanville who can play either guard or forward. He has the ability to bang inside or play along the perimeter. He led the Panthers to the Class 5A state title in 2007. Franklin is rated as the No. 9 small forward and 43rd-best player overall nationally by Scout.com and the No. 42 player in the country according to Hoopmasters. Roger was also recruited by Arizona, Michigan State, Oklahoma and UCLA. He is a major part of why Duncanville is the preseason No. 1 team in the country according to ESPNRISE and PrepNation.
Fred Gulley • 6-2, 175, Guard
Gulley is a starting guard for the Fayetteville High School Bulldogs. He was named the Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior last season. He averaged 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in leading his team to the conference title. Gulley is ranked as the No. 16 point guard in the country according to Scout.com. He was also recruited by Arkansas, Missouri, Stanford, California and Georgia Tech.
Karron Johnson • 6-7, 225, Forward
Considered one of the top big men in the country, Johnson is rated as one of the top-20 power forwards in the country by all three major recruiting services. Rivals.com ranks him as the No. 45 overall player in the country and the 14th-best PF. He is a four-star forward according to Scout.com as well, and grades out as 93 on a scale of 1 to 100 by ESPNU. Karron was also recruited by Memphis, Georgetown, Miami (Fla.), Cincinnati, West Virginia, NC State, Virginia and Seton Hall.
Ray Penn • 5-9, 170, Guard
Penn is a point guard out of Travis High School in Richmond, Texas, just outside of Houston. He broke onto the recruiting scene last summer when he was the leading scorer at the RBK Summer Championships with 35.8 points per game. He is ranked as the No. 9 point guard in the country by Rivals.com and the 29th-best player overall nationally by Hoopmasters. He chose Oklahoma State after also being recruited by Missouri, Mississippi State and TCU.
Torin Walker • 6-11, 230, Center
Walker is a long, lanky big man who is a very effective shot blocker, rebounder and high- or low-post position player. He has very good shooting range and accuracy for his size and exceptionally long arms. He averaged 17 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots per game as a junior, and was named all-region. He is rated as the No. 14 center nationally by ESPNU. Torin was also recruited by Georgia, Auburn, Florida State, Florida, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee, Xavier and Virginia Tech.