Lumberjacks Sign Three
11/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin head basketball coach Danny Kaspar announced Wednesday the addition of three student-athletes during the 2008 early signing period. Prep prospects Corey Garrett and Will Reinke, along with junior college transfer Jordan Glynn, have all signed national letters of intent to continue their careers at SFA.
All three of the new additions will play in the frontcourt, as Glynn is a power forward/center prospect, while Garrett and Reinke are both centers.
"We're very excited about these three young men signing with us," Kaspar said. "At the end of this season, we're going to be losing some outstanding big men in seniors Matt Kingsley, Benson Akpan and Nick Shaw. The signing of these three players will hopefully go a long way in easing the pain of losing those three young men."
Glynn, a 6-7, 225-pound power forward from Waco, Texas, is currently in his second season at McLennan Community College. As a freshman, he averaged 12.5 points per game and led the team in rebounding with 7.9 boards per outing. He played in all 31 games for McLennan last season. Glynn's efforts earned him First-Team All-NTJCAC honors, as well as a first-team all-region selection. He also earned an invite to the prestigious 2008 Jerry Mullen Top 120 JUCO showcase in Tulsa, Okla.
Glynn was a Preseason Third-Team JUCO All-American selection by Hoopmasters.com this season. So far, that projection looks to be dead-on. Glynn is averaging a double-double with 16.0 points and a conference-leading 12.25 rebounds per game, and the Highlanders are undefeated at 5-0.
As a prep player at La Vega High School, Glynn averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds with three blocks per game. He was a two-time District 17-3A MVP and two-time, first-team all-district choice, as well as earning all-state honors. Glynn was also the 2007 Super Centex Player of the Year.
He is SFA's third signee from McLennan in the last three seasons, following point guard Eric Bell and shooting guard Walt Harris.
"Jordan is another excellent recruit we've been able to get from McLennan Community College," Kaspar said. "He's a tough kid who really rebounds the ball well. He'll play both the center and power forward for us and will bring some immediate toughness to our program. He's really improved his offensive game since high school, and I see him as a very possible double-digit scorer for us."
Garrett, at 6-8, 230 pounds, is a very athletic player from Center, Texas. He is a three-year letterwinner for former Lumberjack All-American Hiram Harrison at Center High School. As a junior, Garrett was named first-team all-district and took his league's Defensive Player of the Year award. He averaged 16.1 points and 10.3 rebounds last season and comes into his senior season ranked the No. 59 overall recruit in the state by TexasHoops.com. Garrett, who plays AAU basketball with the Dallas Mustangs, has been rated as the No. 17 recruit on the DFW scene by Metroplexhoops.com.
"Corey is a very athletic and energetic player," Kaspar said. "He has great potential and has not yet fully developed his game, as he began playing basketball seriously only three years ago. Even as a high school player, he would probably be one of the strongest and fastest players on our team right now, so I look forward to coaching a center with his athletic abilities. He has an enthusiasm for the game and for life, and I think he will be a lot of fun to coach."
Reinke is a 6-10, 230-pounder from Lawton, Okla. He will finish his career at Lawton High next spring having lettered all four years with three seasons as a starter under his belt. Reinke was a first-team all-conference choice last season, when he averaged 12 points and 12 rebounds per game. Leading into this season, he was voted Preseason Class 6A First-Team All-State by the Web site Coachesaid.com. Reinke is also an accomplished pitcher on the baseball summer league circuit.
"Will is a very interesting sign for us," Kaspar said. "He has divided his time in high school between baseball and basketball, but has now decided to focus on basketball for his collegiate career. With his size, he will be one of the first true big men that we've signed during my time here. I am really impressed with his offensive skills, especially when one considers that he spends five to six months a year playing baseball. Our coaching staff and I think he can be another Matt Kingsley."
The 2008 early signing class is joining the SFA family at a prosperous time. The Lumberjacks are coming off an unprecedented 26-6 campaign in 2007-08 that saw them win the program's first-ever Southland Conference championship and reach the National Invitation Tournament for the first time since 1987.
Most preseason publications have SFA projected to repeat as SLC champions this season. The Lumberjacks are 1-1 in 2008-09 and will continue play next Tuesday with a 7 p.m. game at Louisiana-Monroe.
-- SFA --
