WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Two more players have been added to the 2014-15 Grizzly Basketball squad at Missouri State University-West Plains.
They are Keion Peoples, a 5-foot, 11-inch point guard from Hamilton High School in Memphis, Tenn., and Chris Kouakou, a 6-foot, 4-inch guard from Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Worth, Texas.
“We are excited to continue our tradition of adding good young men from Memphis to the Grizzly program,” Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Yancey Walker said. “Keion is exactly what we were looking for at the point. He is a tough, thick, physical defender who plays his position very well and gets others involved on the offensive end. He is used to playing some of the best competition there is at the high school level and performing well, and that will serve our team well.
“Chris will be a great fit for our program and our community,” Walker added. “He is a good on-the-ball defender who uses his length and athleticism very well. Offensively, he can shoot and attack, and he is able to make plays and handle the ball well in traffic.”
Peoples averaged 17 points, six assists and three steals at Hamilton his senior season, and said he is excited to join the Grizzlies. “I feel like this is the best fit for myself and my family. In the past, Missouri State-West Plains has played really tough defense, and I like to pressure the ball,” he said. “My favorite part of the program is the rate at which players graduate (89 percent) and move on to high level Division I schools. I also like the toughness of the schedule year in and year out because I want to compete against the best competition.”
Kouakou averaged 12.8 points, 3.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals at Fossil Ridge his senior season. He shot 36 percent from 3-point range and 76 percent from the charity stripe. He helped lead his team to a 22-8 record this past season while earning Class 5A District 4 second team honors for himself. Walker pointed out Kouakou was a two-time all-district honoree during his high school career.
For more information about the Grizzly Basketball team, including complete statistics from the games, visit wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/bb/.