SFA Signs Three
5/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 6, 2010
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin head basketball coach Danny Kaspar announced Thursday the addition of three student-athletes to the Lumberjacks' 2010-11 roster. Collegiate transfers Dion Prewster and Brandon Cutler, along with prep recruit Desmond Haymon, signed to continue their educations and playing careers at SFA.
"The signing of these three players will really strengthen our team at the power forward and shooting guard spots," Kaspar said. "All three players have versatility in their games and are gifted in several different aspects. I expect all three, especially the two junior college signees, to help us immediately."
Prewster is a 6-5 forward out of San Jacinto College. As a sophomore he averaged 13.5 points and a league-best 11.8 rebounds per game to earn First-Team All-East Texas Junior College Conference honors, along with First-Team All-Region XIV accolades. He helped the Coyotes to a 25-5 record and the ETJCC South Division championship. His freshman season, Prewster scored 8.3 points and pulled down 7.0 rebounds per game.
Prewster was born in the United States but grew up in New Zealand, where he captains the national team. He finished his high school education in Iowa, where he helped lead Iowa City High to the Class 4A state championship as a senior in 2008.
"Dion is a great catch for us," Kaspar said. "He averaged a double-double for San Jacinto, one of the premier JUCO programs in the country. He is a very mature young man and is very intelligent both on and off the court. I love his competitive nature and I see him being a leader for us."
Cutler is a 6-6 forward from Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa. He sat out his first year at NOCT with a foot injury that required surgery. The ailment persisted this season prompting a second surgery, but, once the procedure was completed, Cutler was able to return to the lineup and average 15 minutes per game at the end of the season. Despite the games missed due to injury, he scored 8.3 points per game and pulled down 6.1 rebounds per contest. Thanks to a medical redshirt in his first season at NOCT, Cutler will bring three years of eligibility with him to SFA.
Cutler is originally from Lawton, Okla., hometown of current Lumberjack senior Eddie Williams. The Lawton Hoops Review ranked Cutler the No. 4 prospect in the city in 2008.
"Because of Brandon's injury this year, he was somewhat of an unknown commodity," Kaspar said. "However, with the few games he was able to play, we got the chance to watch him twice this year and liked what we saw. He is another mature young man who excels on and off the court. He can shoot the ball well and is a very good rebounder. I'm excited that he'll have three years with us."
Haymon is a 6-3 shooting guard from Durant, Miss. The William Sullivan High School graduate averaged 30 points and eight rebounds per game as a senior. He shot 52 percent from the field and hit 41 percent from 3-point range. Haymon scored a career-high 53 points in a game against O'Bannon High School in January of this season.
He was named to the Clarion-Ledger Mississippi Boys Top 25 list, while HoopScoop Online and Mississippi Boys Hoops both rank Haymon the No. 10 player in the state.
"Desmond is one of the most prolific scorers we've signed in my ten years at SFA," Kaspar said. "He led his team to a district championship this year and did so without a lot of scoring help around him. I look for him to help us a great deal over the next four years."
The trio of spring signees brings SFA's 2010 class total to six student-athletes. They join collegiate transfer Antonio Bostic (Shawnee, Kan./Neosho County CC) and prep recruits Darius Gardner (Houston/Yates) and Amos Olatayo (Houston/Alief-Elsik).
The Lumberjacks are coming off their third straight 20-win season. SFA went 23-9 overall with an 11-5 record in league action to win the Southland Conference East Division title and finish second in the overall standings. SFA reached the championship game of the Southland Conference Tournament for the second consecutive year.
-- SFA --
