Nov. 9, 2005
University of Dayton men's basketball coach Brian Gregory and his staff continue to make a national impact on the recruiting front with the signing of their third recruiting class. And the four players who signed today are another highly-touted class. The newest official members of the Flyer family - 6-9 center/forward Kurt Huelsman of St. Henry (OH) High School, 6-3 guard Marcus Johnson of Akron (OH) St. Vincent/St. Mary's High School, 6-4 guard Andres Sandoval of Winchendon High School (Milford, MA)/Santa Fe (FL) Community College and 6-2 guard London Warren of Jacksonville (FL) Raines High School - are collectively ranked tied for the nation's 33rd-best, according to HoopScoop Online.
All four committed verbally to UD this summer after getting scholarship offers from schools that included members of the Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC. Each player signed with UD today.
"I have to again take my hat off to my staff," Gregory said. "With their tireless work ethic, they have done an unbelievable job in recognizing our needs, evaluating talented players and signing what I believe is a very special class."
"Billy Schmidt, Reggie Rankin and Bob Beyer demonstrated what their tremendous recruiting experience brings to our program by bringing in a class characterized by versatility, athletic ability, strong basketball skills and character, on-and-off the court."
A four-year varsity starter at St. Henry High School, Huelsman averaged 11.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots while shooting 60% from the field last season, as the Redskins went 20-3. As a sophomore, he was part of St. Henry's 2004 Ohio Division III state championship team, averaging 10.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.3 blocked shots.
Huelsman had a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) in the state championship game and was named the tournament's MVP. He was named Honorable Mention All-Ohio last year.
Gregory on Huelsman: "Kurt really got the ball rolling with this class by committing to us in May. For a young post player, he has a rare combination of skill and athletic ability. He comes from a great high school program and is a player who is getting better everyday."
Johnson is another new Flyer with an Ohio state championship on his basketball resume. He was a freshman on the varsity team at St. Vincent-St. Mary's when LeBron James led SVSM to the championship. After averaging 5.0 points as a rookie, Johnson moved into the starting lineup and helped get his team to the regional finals the last two years.
After averaging 12.8 points a game as a sophomore, he exploded for a great junior year, averaging 22.8 points and 7.3 rebounds. The most athletic guard to come to Dayton since Johnny Davis in 1973, Johnson already has 1,020 career points. He is on pace to be his school's second all-time leading scorer behind you-know-who.
This summer he was named one of the top six shooting guards at the Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis, and scored 17 points in that event's all-star game. He played for the King James Shooting Stars AAU team that made it to the final four of the Main Event tournament in Las Vegas.
Gregory on Marcus Johnson: "Obviously, the first that catches your attention with Marcus is his tremendous athletic ability. But he is much more than that. He has demonstrated the ability to be a perimeter player who can create scoring opportunities for himself and others."
Sandoval is a familiar name to UD fans, and he should be. He played last season at Atlantic 10 rival Richmond, and left there following a coaching change. But since he had already used his redshirt season during 2003-04 for medical reasons, he transferred to Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Florida this season. He will have two years of eligibility at Dayton.
As a freshman at Richmond, he averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 22 games (19 starts). He was sixth in the A-10 in steals. Over the last five games of the year, he had three double-digit performances and averaged 10.2 points, 2.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds in that closing run.
He was a three-time All-Massachusetts selection in high school, averaging 27 points a game in two seasons at Marlboro High School, before switching to the Winchendon School, which plays in the highly competitive New England Prep School Athletic Conference. At Winchendon, Sandoval averaged 12.2 points, 5.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds as a senior.
After graduating from Sante Fe this spring, Sandoval will be immediately eligible at UD next year.
Gregory on Sandoval: "I'm extremely excited to have Andres joining our program as a junior. His experience at playing at the major-college level will bring a confidence and court savvy that we will need after losing five perimeter players over the last two years. His ability to break down the defense off the dribble in both the open court and half-court will really impact our offense."
Warren will also make the journey from Florida to Dayton next season, coming from Jacksonville's Raines High School, a powerhouse on the Florida prep scene. Warren averaged 14.2 points and 5.2 assists in 14 games last season. He missed 14 games after breaking his right hand in the third game of the year.
A jet-quick guard known for his explosiveness, Warren led Raines to the regional finals last year after Raines won back-to-back Florida Class 4A state championships. This summer his Jacksonville Lee Bulls AAU team reached the final 16 at the AAU national tournament, and Warren averaged 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.2 assists in for the Bulls.
Gregory on Warren: "London's quickness, ball handling and court awareness will make him a great addition to our program. He's a natural leader on the court and the intensity he plays with is infectious. He has played with nothing but championship teams in his career, so that should make his transition to college basketball that much easier."
UD will play its final exhibition tuneup Saturday, November 12 at 2:00 p.m. when the Division II University of Findlay Oilers visit UD Arena. Findlay was 30-4 last year and finished the regular season ranked #1 in the NABC Division II Coaches' Poll. They are ranked sixth in the pre-season this year. Dayton edged Findlay 63-61 in an exhibition game last year.
The Flyers will open the season on Friday, November 18 at home against Tennessee Tech. Game time is 8:00 p.m. EST. That game is part of a doubleheader with the Dayton women's team opening the season against Akron at 5:30 p.m. EST.
Last year, with one of the youngest teams in the country (six freshmen averaged at least 11 minutes a game), UD was 18-11 and finished tied for second in the A-10 West. The Flyers return four starters from that team, including Pre-Season First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection Monty Scott.
