Kentucky Wesleyan College head men's basketball coach Todd Lee announced the Panthers 2012-13 recruiting class with 11 newcomers.
“We feel good about the recruits that we have added to our existing roster,” Lee said. “They will need to learn our system and also understand the level of play very quickly.
“Our returning players have the experience of getting to the NCAA Midwest Regional finals and they will need to help the new players understand what it takes to compete in the best region in the country.”
The list includes two Division I, one Division II, one NAIA and two junior college transfers plus five high school products. They are:
Rico Ferguson, a 6-4, 190-pound junior guard from Richmond, Va., played two seasons at Campbell University where he was the fifth leading scorer at 6.6 points per game as a sophomore in 2012. He led the Camels in steals with 27 and finished second in assists with 86 in starting 26 of 31 games played.
Dazmond Starke, a 6-7, 261-pound senior center from Richmond, Va., transferred to Kentucky Wesleyan from the University of Idaho after Christmas. He averaged 4.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 12.4 minutes in 12 games as junior during the 2011 semester. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Jake Jenkins, a 6-5, 223-pound sophomore forward from Crestwood, Ky., played his freshman year at Bellarmine University in 2010-11. He played in 16 games where he averaged 1.7 points and 4.8 minutes per contest on the Knight's NCAA Championship team. He will sit out the 2012-13 season as a redshirt.
Chris Way, a 6-3, 189-pound sophomore guard from Louisville, Ky., joins KWC after his freshman season at Brescia University in 2012. He led the Bearcats in scoring with 12.6 points, rebounding with 5.1 boards per game and minutes played at 28.9.
J.D. Danforth, a 6-2, 176-pound junior guard from Rockford, Ill., started two seasons at Highland Community College in Freeport, Ill. The 2012 second team All-Arrowhead Conference selection averaged a fifth-best 8.8 points per contest in 32 games. He finished second in three-pointers with 32, third in assists with 81 and steals with 41.
Donovan Johnson, a 6-7, 213-pound junior forward from Shelbyville, Ky., started two seasons at Wabash Valley College in Mt. Carmel, Ill. The All-Great Rivers Athletic Conference and All-Region 24 selection averaged a fourth-best 9.4 points per game and led the Warriors in rebounding at 5.9 boards per contests in 30 starts.
Lucas Barker, a 6-0, 196-pound freshman guard from Cranbourne, Australia, averaged 21.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists for Box Hill Senior Secondary College as senior. He also played club ball for the Dandenong Solo Rangers in the averaging 10.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 20.2 minutes per contest.
Jacob Griffin, a 6-2, 181-pound freshman guard from Greenville, Ky., as a senior at Muhlenberg County High School received All-10th District and All-Third Region recognition. He averaged 14.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists as one of the Top 50 senior players in Kentucky.
Kemonte Jackson, a 6-2, 184-pound senior guard from Antioch, Tenn., will join the team after completing his senior year on the Panther football squad. He played three seasons and started two at Stratford where he earned all-district honors as a junior. An injury forced him to miss his senior season.
Kyle Smith, a 5-8, 167-pound freshman guard from Nashville, Tenn., averaged 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals as a senior in starting all 25 games for Goodpasture Christian. He was a two-time all-county selection and a 2012 all-district performer.
Freddie Young, a 5-10, 173-pound guard from Minneapolis, Minn., played the 2012 season at Quakerdale Prep Academy in New Providence, Ia. He led the team in scoring with 29.0 points per contest, assists with 6.5, three-pointers with 81 and three-point shooting at 40.1 percent. He will sit out the 2012-13 season as a redshirt.
They join returnees 6-3 forward senior
Cornbread Walker, 6-2 senior guard
Kreig Oxley, 6-7 junior center
Dominique Dawson, 6-4 junior forward
James Herzog, 6-3 junior guard
Luke Shelley and 6-4 sophomore forward
Patrick Neel.
The Panthers compiled a 23-7 record and reached the 2012 NCAA Midwest Region Championship game.
