WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Yancey Walker, head coach of the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball team, has signed his second recruit for the 2012-13 season.

He is Wesley Staten, a 6-foot, 1-inch guard from Sioux City, Iowa.

“I’m excited to be Wesley’s coach and welcome him to our institution,” Walker said in making the announcement today, April 12.  “He will be a huge asset to our team because he is a great communicator and he is a gym rat.  His high school winning percentage is phenomenal and, more importantly, he knows how to win a championship.”

Staten started his prep career at West High School, where he averaged 18.2 points as a freshman and 22.4 points as a sophomore for the Wolverines.  He was named by MaxPreps.com as one of the top 100 sophomores in the United States to watch.

Staten transferred to Bishop Heelan Catholic High School before his junior season and helped lead the Crusaders to a 25-2 record and their third consecutive Class 3A Iowa State Championship in 2011.  He averaged a team-leading 19.3 points and 49 steals for the squad.

“Wesley’s ceiling as a basketball player is extremely high, but his understanding of how important his academics are to his success is off the chart,” Walker said.  “Wesley will be a tough matchup for our opponents because he knows how to get others involved, but he is always a threat to score.”

Staten joins Carthage’s Desmond Buerge as part of the Grizzlies’ freshman class for the upcoming season.  Buerge signed a letter of intent to join the Grizzlies earlier this week.

For more information about the Grizzly Basketball program, visit the team’s website at http://www.wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/bb.htm or call the Grizzly Basketball office at 417-255-7993.