University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Basketball Adds Four During Spring Signing Period
4/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 12, 2006
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss Head Basketball Coach Larry Eustachy has announced the signing of four players, three prep standouts and one junior college transfer, to national letters of intent and grant-in-aid for the 2006-07 academic season, Wednesday, the first day of the 2006 spring signing period.
The Golden Eagles inked Demar Dotson (6-9, 250, F/C) of Southeastern Illinois College; David Howard (6-5, 220, F) of Wayne County (Miss.) High School; Saiquon Stone (6-6, 200, G) of Laurinburg (N.C.) Prep; and Maros Zuffa (6-4, 185, G) of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel HS in Baltimore, Md.
"From a quality and quantity standpoint, I believe that this year's recruiting class has the potential to be one of the best recruiting classes I have been involved with," Eustachy said. "With this class also comes higher expectations for our success, but it shows the commitment that we have to building a quality basketball program over the next few years.
"We will definitely be young next year, and it will take time for us to reach our true potential, but I am very excited about what we have coming in and who we have returning."
Dotson, from Alexandria, La., was a two-year letterwinner for Coach Todd Franklin at Southeastern Illinois College, averaging 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He led his team to a 25-8 overall record and a berth in the NJCAA Region XXIV championship game.
Howard, out of Waynesboro, Miss., was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter for Coach Geary Jackson at Wayne County, leading the War Eagles to a 24-6 record as a senior, averaging 23.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
Stone, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., played for Coach Billy Reed at Laurinburg Prep, averaging 15 points, six rebounds and six assists last season. While playing three positions at Laurinburg, point guard, shooting guard and wing, he helped his team to a 24-1 record, finishing fifth in the nation among prep schools.
Zuffa, a native of Bratislava, Slovakia, was a two-year letterwinner for coach Tom Rose and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School. He led his team to a 46-11 overall record during his two years, averaging 11 points, seven rebounds, 2.5 assists and two steals as a senior.
The signing class also features some of the top players in the state of Mississippi, with two of those players -- Howard and early period signee Andre Stephens of Heidelberg High School -- being named to the Clarion Ledger's "Dandy Dozen", signifying the most sought-after recruits in a given academic year.
"I've always been a firm believer that we could find quality athletes within the state of Mississippi and be extremely successful," Eustachy said. "I think we did that this season by signing players who we believe are among the best in the state."
The four players join Southern Miss' three early period signees as newcomers to next season's program, including Gjio Bain of Northeastern (Neb.) Community College, Dewayne Green of Mt. San Jacinto (Calif.) College, and Stephens.
Complete bios follow:
Demar Dotson, 6-9, 250, F/C
Southeastern Illinois College
Alexandria, La.
A two-year letterwinner for Coach Todd Franklin at Southeastern Illinois College ... Averaged 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore ... Team finished with a 25-8 overall record and a berth in the NJCAA Region XXIV championship game ... Was a part-time starter as a freshman ... High School: A three-year letterwinner and two-year starter for Coach Warren Sears at Alexandria (La.) High School ... Earned all-state honors his last two seasons ... As a senior, he led the team to a 17-5 record and a state playoff appearance, averaging 21.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game ... A First Team All-District 3-4A member, a First Team Large Schools All-CenLa (Central Louisiana) player by The Alexandria Town Talk and a second team all-state honoree by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association ... Also garnered first team all-district honors and was an honorable mention all-state player after averaging 18.6 points per game as a junior ... Originally signed with Southern Miss in the 2004 signing period before enrolling at Southeastern Illinois.
David Howard, 6-5, 220, F
Wayne County HS
Waynesboro, Miss.
A four-year letterwinner and three-year starter for Coach Geary Jackson at Wayne County ... Led the War Eagles to a 24-6 record as a senior, averaging 23.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game ... Team won the Division 5-4A championship and advanced to the second round of the South State playoffs this season ... Named to the Meridian Star's All-Area Team ... An all-district selection and district MVP as a senior ... Finished with 22.4 points, 10.1 rebounds per game as a junior, helping the team to a 21-10 overall record and a playoff appearance ... Named to the all-district team as a junior and sophomore ... Played in the Mississippi High School All-Star game ... Selected Honorable Mention All-State by The Clarion Ledger as a junior and senior ... Selected as the team's MVP twice and won the best offense award as a sophomore ... Also chosen to The Clarion Ledger's Dandy Dozen team prior to the start of his senior year ... Named to the Mississippi Association of Coaches All-State Second Team as a junior ... Chose Southern Miss over Louisiana-Monroe.
Saiquon Stone, 6-6, 200, G
Laurinburg (N.C.) Prep
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Played for Coach Billy Reed at Laurinburg (N.C.) Prep ... Averaged 15 points, six rebounds and six assists last season ... Played three positions at Laurinburg, point guard, shooting guard and wing ... Team finished with a 24-1 record, finishing fifth in the nation among prep schools ... Named to the National Prep School Invitational All-Tournament team, leading the team to a 5-1 record in the event ... Was a standout player at Xaverian (N.Y.) High School prior to attending Laurinburg ... At Xaverian, finished with 15.6 points per game, leading the team to the city Catholic League title and a spot in the New York State championship game ... The team finished with a 20-12 record his senior season and a No. 19 national ranking by SchoolSports.com ... Also named to the New York Daily News' All-City team as a senior ... Chose Southern Miss over Marist, Providence, Texas Tech and Florida State.
Maros Zuffa, 6-4, 185, G
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel HS (Baltimore, Md.)
Bratislava, Slovakia
A two-year letterwinner for coach Tom Rose and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School in Baltimore, Md. ... Team finished with a 46-11 overall record during his two years ... Averaged 11 points, seven rebounds, 2.5 assists and two steals as a senior, leading his team to a 24-5 record and the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) B-Conference championship ... As a junior, finished with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals per game, as team had a 22-6 record and won the MIAA C-Conference championship ... A two-time MIAA All-Conference selection ... Named to the All-Baltimore County Second Team by the Baltimore Sun ... Selected as team MVP ... Chosen to compete in two all-star games, the Charm City Challenge and the Maryland vs. Pennsylvania All-Star game ... Will be a member of the Slovakia National Under-20 team which will compete in Lisbon, Portugal, this summer ... A honorable mention honor roll student ... Chose Southern Miss over Rhode Island and Oregon State.
