Chipola Reloads with D-I transfers
Ryan Cross isn't averse to welcoming Division I transfers with open arms, and this year's Chipola J.C. squad bears that out.
Of course, Cross benefited from the services of several Division I transfers on his 1998-99 Barton County (KS) C.C. program that reached the NJCAA title game.
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He's hoping a similar scenario plays out this winter at Chipola, where he will have the benefit of four Division I transfers.
Of course, the big name is 6-4 combo guard Nick Williams, a Kansas State University transfer who has already committed to Cincinnati.
Three other Division I refugees are also hoping to bring the Indians to the promised land this fall -- 6-9 Tom Frericks, 6-2 Justin Smith and 6-3 JueMichael Young.
Of that lot, Young (right) comes to Chipola with the most well known resume. He enjoyed an excellent summer in 1999 playing for the New Orleans Jazz program on the adidas circuit, and was ranked pretty highly by a number of recruiting services among the Class of 2000 shooting guards.
At LSU, Young propped in 2000-2001, and played in just 12 games during the 2001-2002 season. His career at the SEC program was eventually sidetracked by some off the court issues, and a big year at Chipola could help put him back firmly on the high major radar screen.
In a recent interview, Cross told Rivalshoops.com that Young, a 6-3, 200 pound wing, had been offered by Louisiana Tech. Others showing interest include Cincinnati, Oklahoma and Southern Mississippi. Young is a native of Hammond, La.
Frericks (left), a 6-9, 270 pound center, transferred into Chipola after two years at UAB. He sat out last year (2001-02) due to an injury, and he hopes to use this year at Chipola to improve his conditioning and show coaches that he still can be a factor at the Division I level.
Coach Cross said that Evansville has shown very heavy interest in Frericks this fall. In fact, the Bowling Green, Ky., native has already unofficially visited the Missouri Valley Conference school.
As a freshman in 2000-2001, Frericks appeared in 27 games for the Blazers, starting two. He averaged 2.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, logging 7.5 minutes per contest.
The third Division I transfer -- 6-2 shooting guard Justin Smith (right) -- is a Memphis (TN) native who spent half a year [2000-2001] at Arkansas State. He then transferred to Southeast Missouri State last fall, but never played there and opted to transfer to Chipola instead.
Cross said that Smith will likely visit three colleges this fall -- McNeese State, Tennessee-Martin and Jacksonville State.
We will keep you posted on all three players' recruitment in the weeks to come, so stay tuned.
Photos: Louisiana State University, University of Alabama-Birmingham and Southeast Missouri State Sports Information Departments