NaDean Schroeder, Asst. A.D. for Media and Public Relations
7/26/2010 1:09:45 PM
MOORHEAD, Minn. – Head Coach Chad Walthall and his staff announced on Monday that the Minnesota State University Moorhead men’s basketball team has signed two more student-athletes to the 2010-11 roster as well as will welcome back Jamal O’Neal for his senior season.
Junior college transfer athletes D.J. Hamilton and Tarell Clark will join O’Neal on the Dragons roster that already holds 12 Dragons, which includes two freshman and a transfer athlete that committed to MSUM just a week ago.
“We are very pleased to announce the commitments of DJ and Tarell as well as the decision for Jamal to return to our institution to finish his degree and be a part of our basketball program this upcoming season,” Walthall said. “We feel with these additions along with the earlier commitments we have added pieces to a nucleus of returning players that there is optimism to have a successful year and start to rebuild our program.”
O’Neal (6’5, 190, Forward), a three-year letterwinner for the Dragons in 2005-08, left school after his junior season for personal reasons. He played in 83 games for the Dragons starting all but six games in his sophomore and junior seasons. O’Neal averaged 9.8 points and 6.6 rebounds in his Dragon career thus far.
Hamilton (6’0, 160, Guard) was a two-year starter at Central Arizona College where he averaged 19.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.8 steals per game. He was a first-team All-Conference selection and also played in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I all-star game where he was the second leading scorer in the contest with 17 points. He also ranked fourth in the country in three-point field goal percentage in his sophomore season.
The native of Avondale, Ariz., was a 2008 graduate of Auga Fira High School where he led his team to the AAAA-I Arizona State title game and was selected to both the All-Conference team and to play in the 2008 Arizona High School All-Star game.
Clark (6’2, 190, Guard) will join his teammate Charlie Chapman and former WSC assistant coach and current MSUM Assistant Coach Eric Peterson, on the Dragons roster after playing the last season at Williston State College. He averaged 17.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game last season, being named to the 2009 first-team All-MonDak Conference as well as garnering first-team All-Region honors. He led the Tetons to a 25.7 record this past season and to a league title as he was named the MonDak tournament MVP.
At Burnsville High School, Clark averaged 21.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in his senior season as he led his team to the State tournament for the second time in school history. He exited BHS as the second all-time leading scorer with 1,537 points and all-time steals leader with 109.