Men's Hoops Adds Two Prep Standouts

TROY, Ala. – Troy men's basketball head coach Scott Cross announced Thursday the addition of one of the nation's top small forwards, Randi Ovalle, and one of the top defensive prep players in the South, Andre Young, to the program. Both players will be eligible for the Trojans beginning with the 2022-23 season.

Randi Ovalle | F | 6-7 | 210 | Santiago, Dominican Republic | Success Unlimited Academy (Ala.)

Rated as the number 10 player in North Carolina and the No. 59 small forward in the country by the 247Sports Composite rankings, Randi Ovalle checks in at 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Ovalle played his junior season at Charlotte's Victory Christian School before transferring to Success Unlimited Academy in Montgomery, Ala., for his senior season.

"We are very fortunate that Randi Ovalle decided to become a Troy Trojan," Cross said. "Randi has great size and has the ability to play almost any position on the floor. We will probably look to use him most on the wing here at Troy. We found out about Randi through Coach Dudley, who coaches Randi at Success Academy in Montgomery. Coach Dudley also coached Duke Miles in AAU basketball a few summers ago.

"Randi can do it all. He can pass, dribble, shoot, post up and has great size at his position. At 6-foot-7, Randi could be one of the bigger wings in the Sun Belt Conference. Trojan fans are going to love watching Randi play because he has the ability to be a difference-maker here at Troy."

Andre Young | G | 5-11 | 160 | Mableton, Ga. | Pebblebrook HS

Andre Young averaged 12 points, three steals and 2.5 assists as a junior last year for a Pebblebrook High School team that advanced to the Georgia 7A Final Four. It was the Falcons' third straight run deep in the playoffs as Young helped lead Pebblebrook to Elite 8 appearances the previous two years.

He earned AAU MVP honors over the summer of 2021 and earned Max Preps Offensive and Defensive Player of the Game honors after dropping 19 points in an 87-59 playoff victory over Newton.

"We are extremely excited about the addition of Andre Young to our basketball team, Cross said. "Andre plays for one of the most storied high school programs in the country, in Pebblebrook High School coached by Coach George Washington. Former Pebblebrook alums include NBA players Collin Sexton & Jared Harper.

"We first saw Andre at our 'Team Camp' this summer. Dre was one of the best 3-point shooters that I saw all summer long, but I was even more impressed with how he got after it defensively. Dre can play both guard positions and is extremely skilled as he can pass, dribble, shoot and finish around the basket. Dre will definitely help take our program to the next level."

Troy University Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Duke Miles

Related Videos