Here is what Gregg Marshall has to say on all six of Wichita State’s 2020 signees
The Wichita State men’s basketball team is near completion of its offseason transformation, as all six players in its 2020 recruiting class signed on Wednesday, the first day of the spring signing period.
Since the abrupt ending to WSU’s 23-8 season in March, the Shockers have seen seven scholarship players enter in the NCAA transfer portal, junior-to-be Dexter Dennis declare for the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility and now six new players who are all immediately eligible for the 2020-21 season. WSU still has two scholarship remaining to fill out its roster.
Among the new signees, WSU coach Gregg Marshall landed a graduate transfer who is former McDonald’s All-American, a pair of highly-touted junior-college transfers and three potent high school signees.
“We feel like, as a team, we have gotten more athletic,” Marshall said in a release. “We addressed some immediate needs and also set ourselves up for the future with guys who are just going to get better and better every day. All of them are dynamic talents as well as super young people.”
Here are Marshall’s thoughts on all six of the new Shockers:
Alterique Gilbert
Gilbert (6-0, 180) is a point guard who is coming to WSU as a graduate transfer after four years at Connecticut, where he averaged 10.3 points and earned a reputation as a dogged defender.
“When it became obvious that we needed a complete point guard overhaul, we looked at all of the grad transfers that were out there,” Marshall said. “Because of my respect and admiration for Alterique and his game, he was someone that we moved on immediately. I told Alterique that, from a coaches’ perspective, he struck fear in our hearts as we prepared for games against UConn. He’s a dynamic playmaker, shot-maker and defender and we relish the opportunity to have him on our side now in the twilight of his college career.”
Craig Porter Jr.
Porter (6-2, 175) is the No. 15 junior college prospect according to jucorecruiting.com after he helped lead Vincennes to an NJCAA national championship last spring. As a sophomore, Porter ranked 13th nationally in assists (6.5) per game) with averages of 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.9 blocks.
“We set out to sign a junior college point guard, and Craig was our top choice,” Marshall said. “(Assistant coach) Lou Gudino has been keeping tabs on him since high school, and we watched Craig win a national championship in Hutchinson last year. He’s been well-coached by Todd Franklin and the staff at Vincennes, which you might recall is the same program that produced another recent Shocker great, Darius Carter. Craig can handle either guard position because he’s long, athletic and plays so hard. He can handle the ball, shoot, distribute and even block shots. We’re looking forward to having him in the yellow and black.”
Clarence Jackson
Jackson (6-7, 205) comes to WSU with three years of eligibility and was ranked the No. 23 junior college prospect by jucorecruiting.com. He averaged 13.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a freshman and earned first team all-conference honors.
“Clarence fits the mold as a dynamic forward who can play multiple positions because of his energy and effort,” Marshall said. “He’s a relentless, downhill driver, as well as a very good athlete. He had a great year at Polk under Coach Brandon Giles that included multiple 20-point, 20-rebound performances – and comes to us with three seasons of eligibility remaining.”
Jaden Seymour
Seymour (6-9, 185) is an intriguing high school prospect from Charlotte, North Carolina who lost most of his senior year in high school to an ACL injury. He helped lead Northside Christian to its second straight state semifinal appearance and was a two-time all-state selection.
“(Assistant coach) Tyson Waterman’s North Carolina connections helped us secure a dynamic talent at the forward position,” Marshall said. “Jaden is tremendously bouncy, athletic and highly-skilled for someone of his height. He played for an excellent coach, Erasto Hatchett, at Northside Christian. We’ve all had players that have come back from ACL knee surgeries to have tremendous careers, and we feel Jaden will be no exception. He’s another great young man who will fit in well here.”
Chaunce Jenkins
Jenkins (6-4, 165) is a wiry guard with supreme athleticism and a large winspan from Newport News, Virginia. A late bloomer who flew under the recruiting radar, Jenkins led Menchville to a 20-4 record and earned all-state honors in Virginia’s Class 4A. One of his dunks was featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays.
“Chaunce displays bursts of athleticism, evidenced by the fact that he already has a top-10 SportsCenter moment on his reel,” Marshall said. “With his quickness, speed and length, he can play any backcourt position. Coach Lamont Strothers deserves credit for his development to this point, as does (WSU assistant coach) Isaac Brown for helping unearth another young prospect with major upside.”
Ricky Council IV
Council (6-5, 210) is a serial dunker from Durham, North Carolina who excels in the open court and has the tools to be a versatile defender. He averaged 23 points and 9.5 rebounds as a senior, while leading his team to the state quarterfinals and earned third team all-state honors in the state.
“Ricky is a tremendous athlete and young man who we had been recruiting all year,” Marshall said. “Coming in as a wing/guard, he can get to the cup and finish, as well as shoot from distance. He’s a Dexter Dennis-type player who had a strong senior year under Coach Greg Motley. We feel all of these freshmen have extremely high ceilings, and Ricky is no exception. We’re looking forward to helping him reach his full potential.”
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