Troy University Athletics
Trojans Ink Two During Fall Period
11/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Basketball (M)
TROY – The Troy men's basketball coaching staff used its success during the 2008-09 season to lock-up a pair of future Trojans, signing guards Travis Nichols and DeAndrae Ross on Thursday as announced by head coach Don Maestri.
Both Nichols and Ross will join the Troy squad next year from Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Fla.
A 6-foot-5 swingman, Nichols is in his first season at Gulf Coast after spending last year as a redshirt player at American International College in Springfield, Mass. He will have three seasons of eligibility left for the Trojans, rather than the traditional two seasons seen by most junior college transfers.
Both Maestri and associate head coach David Felix are extremely impressed with the athletic ability of Nichols.
“He fits our system because he's athletic and can play more than one position on the perimeter,” Maestri said. “He is a very intense player. Another positive is that he will only be a sophomore when he gets here. That is a really big positive for us. We are very excited to have Travis join our basketball program.”
Felix likes Nichols' skill-set and believes his prep experience will help him in the Sun Belt.
“He's 6-foot-5 and very athletic,” Felix said. “He's got a great mid-range jumper. He's going to be able to do a lot for us on both ends of the court. He's from Brooklyn, New York, so he played in a very tough, competitive high school league.”
Ross is also in a unique situation. The 6-foot-1 guard played his first two seasons at South Alabama, but is spending this year as a student at Gulf Coast CC and will transfer to Troy after the spring semester.
A native of Panama City, Fla., Ross played two seasons at South Alabama appearing in 51 games including six starts a year ago. As a sophomore in 2008-09 he connected 33 percent of his 3-point attempts while playing 14.5 minutes per game.
More of a combo guard than a traditional point, Ross could see time at multiple perimeter positions for the Trojans.
“We are very happy to get DeAndrae,” Maestri said. “He was an outstanding scorer in high school. We tried to recruit him out of high school. He has a lot of experience in the Sun Belt from his two years at South Alabama. He started five or six games last season for them at guard and was one of the top three or four outside shooters on the team.”
Felix thinks Ross' skills will mesh well with what the Trojans like to do on offense.
“He's a kid that we have played against,” Felix said. “We think he will fit our system a lot better than the one he was in previously. He's got a chance to come in and play for us early.”
Both players are going to be counted on to make an impact in their first season due to the volume of scoring output and talent Troy will graduate this year.
“We are expecting both to help us immediately,” Maestri said. “They should both be able to step in and contribute for us because we lose five seniors.”
The Trojans open their 2009-10 season on Saturday with a home contest against Piedmont. Tip-off is set for 1 pm in Trojan Arena. Season tickets for the 2009-10 season are still available. For more information contact the Troy ticket office at 1-877-878-WINS.
Both Nichols and Ross will join the Troy squad next year from Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Fla.
A 6-foot-5 swingman, Nichols is in his first season at Gulf Coast after spending last year as a redshirt player at American International College in Springfield, Mass. He will have three seasons of eligibility left for the Trojans, rather than the traditional two seasons seen by most junior college transfers.
Both Maestri and associate head coach David Felix are extremely impressed with the athletic ability of Nichols.
“He fits our system because he's athletic and can play more than one position on the perimeter,” Maestri said. “He is a very intense player. Another positive is that he will only be a sophomore when he gets here. That is a really big positive for us. We are very excited to have Travis join our basketball program.”
Felix likes Nichols' skill-set and believes his prep experience will help him in the Sun Belt.
“He's 6-foot-5 and very athletic,” Felix said. “He's got a great mid-range jumper. He's going to be able to do a lot for us on both ends of the court. He's from Brooklyn, New York, so he played in a very tough, competitive high school league.”
Ross is also in a unique situation. The 6-foot-1 guard played his first two seasons at South Alabama, but is spending this year as a student at Gulf Coast CC and will transfer to Troy after the spring semester.
A native of Panama City, Fla., Ross played two seasons at South Alabama appearing in 51 games including six starts a year ago. As a sophomore in 2008-09 he connected 33 percent of his 3-point attempts while playing 14.5 minutes per game.
More of a combo guard than a traditional point, Ross could see time at multiple perimeter positions for the Trojans.
“We are very happy to get DeAndrae,” Maestri said. “He was an outstanding scorer in high school. We tried to recruit him out of high school. He has a lot of experience in the Sun Belt from his two years at South Alabama. He started five or six games last season for them at guard and was one of the top three or four outside shooters on the team.”
Felix thinks Ross' skills will mesh well with what the Trojans like to do on offense.
“He's a kid that we have played against,” Felix said. “We think he will fit our system a lot better than the one he was in previously. He's got a chance to come in and play for us early.”
Both players are going to be counted on to make an impact in their first season due to the volume of scoring output and talent Troy will graduate this year.
“We are expecting both to help us immediately,” Maestri said. “They should both be able to step in and contribute for us because we lose five seniors.”
The Trojans open their 2009-10 season on Saturday with a home contest against Piedmont. Tip-off is set for 1 pm in Trojan Arena. Season tickets for the 2009-10 season are still available. For more information contact the Troy ticket office at 1-877-878-WINS.
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