| MUNCIE,
Ind. -- Ahmaad
Cook (Inglewood, Calif./Westchester H.S.), Steve Horton
(Cincinnati, Ohio/Western Hills H.S.),
Rashuan McLemore (Richmond,
Va./Mt. Zion Christian Academy) and Jarelle
Redden (Cincinnati, Ohio/Western Hills H.S.), have
each signed National Letters of Intent to attend Ball State
University and compete for the men’s basketball program,
according to first-year head coach Ronny Thompson. |
| “The thing I love
about these four guys is that they are tough, competitive
kids,” Thompson said. “I want to continue to attract
competitive players from winning programs to Ball State. Each
time these four guys step on the court, they play like they have
something to prove.” |
| Cook,
a six-foot point guard, finished his senior season at
Westchester High School in Los Angeles with a 25-7 overall
record. He averaged 15 points, six assists, five rebounds
and three steals per contest and guided Westchester to the Los
Angeles City Championship, defeating nationally-ranked and
favorite Fairfax in the semifinals and Woodland Hills Taft H.S.
in the title game. |
| Cook, who is the
younger brother of Georgetown guard Ashanti Cook, was named the
Most Valuable Player of the Los Angeles All-City Basketball
Championship and also earned MVP honors earlier in the season at
the Westchester Tip-Off Classic, where Cook led his team to a
4-0 record and the classic title. |
| Westchester High
School is a nationally-ranked high school program known for
developing players such as Amir Johnson (the last high school
player taken in the NBA Draft and current member of the Detroit
Pistons), Trevor Ariza (UCLA and current member of the Orlando
Magic) and Hassan Adams (Arizona) among others. |
| “Ahmaad knows how
to win,” Thompson said. “He comes from a perennial top
five or top 10, nationally ranked program at Westchester.
He has a pedigree of winning and winning at a national level.
He’s a playmaker who can knock down shots.” |
| Horton,
a 5-9 guard, and BSU recruit Jarelle Redden completed their
sophomore seasons at Cincinnati State Technical College in 2006.
Horton averaged 13 points per game last season and ranked sixth
in the nation with eight assists per game. He earned the Jack
Cistriano Award as the best player under six foot at last
year’s national tournament. |
| “Steve is a
tremendous floor leader,” Thompson said. “He likes the
up-tempo style and brings a real toughness to our program.” |
| McLemore
joins the Ball State program after prep school at Mt. Zion
Academy in Durham, N.C. The 6-4 wing player, averaged 16 points,
five assists and four rebounds per game last season.
McLemore was a teammate of current Kansas player Brandon Rush,
while Tracy McGrady, currently a member of the Houston Rockets,
played for Mt. Zion before being drafted in the NBA in 1997. |
| “Rashaun comes from
one of the top prep schools in the country,” Thompson said.
“He is a tremendous shooter and has a distinct feel for the
game. Rashaun also comes from a program with a tradition of
winning and winning at a very high level.” |
| Redden,
a 6-2 guard, who like Horton was a two-year starter at CSTC,
averaged 15 points per contest a year ago, ranked sixth in the
nation in steals (4.0) and 11th in the nation with nearly 10
rebounds per contest. |
| “For a guard to
average double-figure rebounds, it is an indication of
Jarelle’s competitive desire,” Thompson said. “He’s a
good shooter and has the intangibles every coach looks for.
He’s a natural leader.” |
| The four signees join
6-10 Micah Rollin, who signed with the Cardinals in April, as
Thompson’s first five recruits at Ball State. Cook and
Rollin, a native of Long Beach, Calif., are the first
men’s basketball players from the state of California in Ball
State history. |
