MOUNT PLEASANT – The Iowa Wesleyan College men’s basketball recruiting class for 2008-09 has grown to 13 players overall with the recent addition of six more players.
Three transfers and three high school players, all from a variety of backgrounds, have been added to Head Coach Alan Magnani’s team. The class also features a mixture of frontcourt and backcourt help, with three guards and three forwards on the list.
Among the guards joining the Tigers is 6-1 freshman Michael Scott (Mount Pleasant, Iowa), a hometown product who played at Mount Pleasant Community HS. He is the brother of former IWC player Melvin Scott, a 2006 NAIA Honorable Mention All-American. Scott also is the second brother of a former All-American to join the program this year, joining Chandler Wilson (Doniphan, Mo.), who committed to the Tigers earlier and is the brother of 2003 All-American Nic Wilson.
Also joining the guard class will be junior college transfers Pat Macki (London, England) and Ronnie Williams (Reelsville, Ind.). Macki is a 6-0 point guard from Madison (Wis.) Area Technical College, while the 5-10 Williams is also a point guard and was a member of a Danville (Ill.) Community College team which made the 2008 NJCAA Final Four.
The frontcourt will receive a boost from a transfer and a pair of high school recruits. Dakari Shelby (O’Fallon, Ill.) comes in as a 6-6 senior transfer from William Woods (Mo.) University, where he averaged 10.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last year for the NAIA Division I Owls. He shot 52% from the floor and was named honorable mention American Midwest Conference as a junior.
Also adding size up front will be 6-6 Blake Smith (Sydney, Australia), an overseas product from Westfield Sports HS in Sydney. Smith is a 2007 graduate of the school who averaged 14 points and seven rebounds in 2006-07 and will have four years of eligibility.
Another area product rounds out the class. Six-three forward Taylor Stoutner (Washington, Iowa) of Keota HS averaged 16.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per game last year for the Eagles. He was twice named First Team All-South Iowa Cedar League and played in the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association Goalsetters game in June.
“These six commitments add a great deal of depth to our program. We anticipate the addition of these student-athletes to enhance not only our basketball program but Iowa Wesleyan College as a whole,” Magnani said. “Our fans have become accustomed to seeing a quality product on the court, and we hope the addition of all our recruits, along with our eight returners will allow us to continue to do this.”
For more information regarding the IWC men’s basketball program or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
