WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The recruiting season is underway for the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball team, with Head Coach Yancey Walker’s announcement today of the signing of two players from Memphis, Tenn., for the 2014-15 team.
They are Myron Johnson, a 5-foot, 10-inch point guard from Central High School, and Sam Edwards, a 7-foot forward who attended Kingdom Preparatory Academy in Lubbock, Texas.
“We are thrilled to add two young men of Myron and Sam’s caliber to our team,” Walker said. “Myron is very respectful, he is very focused on the right things, and he is an exceptional basketball player. In many cases, guys who have the ability to score don’t always pass or defend well. That is not the case here. Myron is the entire package.
“Sam is also very respectful, gracious and focused,” the coach continued. “He has so much potential as a basketball player. With his size and athleticism, we feel very confident that he will develop into one of the best two-year big men in the nation.”
Johnson, a 2012 graduate of Central High, averaged 14.7 points per game his senior season and helped lead his team to a 21-8 record and a seventh place ranking in Tennessee.
Johnson said he chose Missouri State-West Plains because “I wanted to be in a situation where I could go to school to better myself and be in a positive surrounding. My goal is to graduate with my four-year degree, and I felt like Missouri State-West Plains was the best place to get started on that. I feel like I can be a big part in getting us back to the national tournament as a leader and by making everyone on the team better.”
Edwards said he chose the Grizzly program because he really liked the facilities, the campus and the environment. “My goal is to play NCAA Division I basketball and then go to the NBA. I saw how much the big guys improved over nine months in the program, and it made me wonder how much I can improve in two years. My goal is to help us win a championship. I really like that Myron and I will get to play together, too!”
Walker said the coaching staff can’t wait “to get these two on the floor wearing Grizzly blue.”
For more information about the Grizzly Basketball team, including complete statistics from the games, visit wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/bb/.