Troy University Athletics
Trojans Add Four During Spring Signing Period
5/19/2008 5:00:00 AM | Basketball (M)
Troy University head basketball coach Don Maestri announced today the signing of four players to scholarships for the 2008-09 season.
All four players come from successful junior college programs, three in Mississippi and one in Alabama, and all four will have a chance to make an immediate impact on the Troy program.
“First of all, they are all scorers, but they are also all athletic and they are all basketball players,” Maestri said. “We wanted to make sure that we signed guys who understand the game, play with intelligence and intensity on the defensive end, and can shoot the basketball. I think all four of these guys fit that mold.”
Maestri said there is a chance that the four signees, along with Richard Delk, who sat out last season as a transfer from Mississippi State, have a chance to start next season.
“It is amazing to think that we could have five players starting this fall who were not on the team last year, but that is certainly a possibility,” Maestri said. “This class ended up being exactly what we were looking for.”
The signees include Regis Huddleston, a guard from Bay Spring, Miss., who played at Meridian Community College; Antywan Jones, a forward from Clarksdale, Miss., who played at Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale; Chris Leggett, a forward from Meridian, Miss., who played at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville; and Travis Lee, a guard from Tallahassee, Fla., who played at Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville.
Troy assistant coach Ben Fletcher said the addition of the four new players to the returning Trojans should give the team a lot of flexibility.
“These guys are all good players and are more athletic than some of our past teams, with more quickness,” Fletcher said. “We'll have a lot of guys that can play more than one position, and that will be a big plus for us.”
Maestri said he has high hopes for the coming season, but has his sights set to the future as well.
“This will be a rebuilding year for us, but I am excited about the potential this team will have,” Maestri said. “This is a two-year project. The great thing is that we will have virtually the same team for the next two seasons, and we'll have nine seniors back for the 2009-10 season.”
See below for biographical sketches of each of the four new Trojans, as well as Delk.
Regis Huddleston ? 6-0, 170, Guard, Bay Spring, Miss.
Huddleston led Meridian Community College in virtually every offensive category during his sophomore season in leading the Eagles to a 16-11 record. He averaged 26 points per game, and scored more than 30 in a game five times.
“Huddleston shoots with the same kind of range that Boo Ramsey had for us a couple of years ago,” Maestri said. “The best part of Huddleston's shot is his selection.”
A good indicator of his shot selection is that he shot 48 percent from three-point range while attempting more than 200 three-pointers last year in earning team MVP honors. He also shot 83 percent from the free throw line as a sophomore. He advanced to play in the 2008 MACJC and Mississippi Junior College All-Star games.
“He is a true two guard with big three-point range,” Troy assistant head coach David Felix said. “He should be able to score for us like he did at Meridian.”
MCC coach George Brooks said he has no doubt that Huddleston will be successful at Troy.
“Regis will be a great addition to Troy,” Brooks said. “He has a strong work ethic and he improved more from his freshman season to his sophomore year than any player I've ever coached.”
Antywan Jones ? 6-6, 190, Forward, Clarksdale, Miss.
One of the things Maestri talked about with regard to this recruiting class was that they wanted to find good decision makers on the floor. He also talked about Troy basketball going back to playing aggressive defense all over the floor. That is where Jones may make his biggest mark.
“He is a multi-purpose player who can drive to the basket as well as shoot,” Maestri said. “His big key, offensively, is his consistency. He is not a player who will score 30 points one night and five the next. He went out in junior college and scored in the 20s every night, and that consistency is something he should be able to do for us as well.
“Even more importantly, he is an excellent defensive player. He is the kind of guy who can be very disruptive on the press because he anticipates passes so well and he is also an excellent defensive rebounder.”
Jones averaged 23 points per game at Coahoma Community College last season to go with six rebounds and five assists per night.
“Antywan is a very versatile player,” Troy assistant coach Michael Curry said. “He is a Shawn Marion type in that he can guard anyone, and play any where.”
Chris Leggett ? 6-7, 200, Forward, Meridian, Miss.
In addition to his skill as a player, Leggett will provide the Trojans with an intangible in that he knows what it takes to win. Leggett played at Wallace Community College in Hanceville on a team that went 32-1 last season. The squads' only loss came in the final game of the year and prevented them from going to the NJCAA National Tournament despite the fact that they were ranked No. 1 in the nation.
“Chris was on a very good team with four or five other players who are going on to Division I teams,” Maestri said. “He knows what it takes to compete and win against the very best and he is a very talented rebounder.”
Leggett averaged 12 points per game at Wallace last year, posted 14 double-doubles while also averaging a team-high nine rebounds per outing. He posted a season-high 19 rebounds in one game. He didn't score more points because he didn't have to, but he shot a solid 61 percent from the field when he did shoot.
“He is an inside-out type of player, but he can step away from the basket and score,” Felix said.
Leggett played in the Alabama Junior College All-Star game this year and was MVP of the 2006 Alabama-Mississippi High School All-Star game. Leggett played his freshman season at Meridian Community College before transferring to Wallace-Hanceville.
Travis Lee ? 5-10, 175, Guard, Tallahassee, Fla.
Much like Huddleston, Lee is a pure shooter. He ranked 22nd in the nation last year with a 21.6 points per game average at Northeast Mississippi Community College while also hitting 48.2 percent (94-of-195) from three-point range.
“Travis is a coach's dream,” NEMCC head coach David Robbins said. “He was in the gym early and he stayed late every day. Even more impressive, the young man didn't miss a single class the entire time he was here at Northeast. He will be successful in whatever he does, wherever he goes, and he will excel at Troy.”
Lee's best game last year was a 37 point effort in which he his seven three-pointers. He helped NEMCC to a 17-12 overall record that included both state and regional titles.
“Travis is a combination guard who can really shoot,” Curry said. “He fits in perfectly with what we are looking for and can fill in some of the points we will lose from the graduation of O'Darien Bassett and Justin Jonus.”
Richard Delk ? 6-4, 180, Guard, Jackson, Tenn.
Delk sat out the 2007-08 season after arriving at Troy from Mississippi State where he was a starter for the better part of two seasons along with his twin brother, Reginald. Both brothers left MSU ? Reginald transferred to Louisville to play for Rick Pitino, who coached the twins' uncle Tony Delk at Kentucky in the mid 1990s ? in search of a higher tempo of play.
“Richard is a great kid who is an excellent player and very good scorer,” Maestri said. “We didn't have anyone on the team who could guard him in practice last year, and we hope that carries over into games this season.”
Delk started 40 of 56 games at point guard for Mississippi State over two seasons. He averaged 5.7 points per game as a sophomore after averaging 3.5 points as a freshman.
