Mules basketball signs five, one other commits

            Five student-athletes have signed letters of intent and one other commits to play for the 2004-05 MIAA Champion Central Missouri State Mules basketball squad next season. The players include three front line players, two guards, and a small forward.

            With the graduation of starting center Pat Schumacher and forwards Derek Weber and Mike Suggs, the Mules had some openings. CMSU head coach Kim Anderson believes he and his staff have found the men to plug those holes.

            “We lost some outstanding players from last year’s championship team and we feel these six young men will contribute immediately and enable us to have another great year.” Anderson said.

            Anderson added the players bring a combination of power and quickness, and they are not strangers to scoring points.

            “The additions of Alonzo Brooks, Andrae Brown, Darryl Sommerset, and Charles Stoker will hopefully pick up the scoring we lost from our front line last year,” he said. “Those are the guys who can play the three, four, or five positions for us.”

            Anderson also added that skilled ball-handlers were a priority this season.

            “Another thing we were trying to do in recruiting was to bring some players who could help us at the guard position,” he said. “We feel with Wadale Williams, who was an outstanding junior college player, and Nathan Frazier, who was a great high school player, we have accomplished that task.”

The following is a list of the Mules 2005-06 class:

Signed letters of intent:

Andrae Brown –Forward/Center

6-7 * 220 * Junior

East St. Louis, Ill. * Black Hawk East Community College

He averaged 15 points and eight rebounds a game for head coach Byron Young at Black Hawk East Community College, and was named first-team NJCAA Region IV after his stellar sophomore campaign.

Nathan Frazier – Combo Guard

6-1 * 170 * Freshman

Versailles, Mo. * Versailles H.S.

He was a two-time all-state pick at Versailles High School after a record-breaking career. Frazier, a three-year starter, is the school’s all-time leader in steals, is second in assists, and finished with 1,441 points. He shot a record 53% from three-point land as a junior and averaged 19.8 points per game as a senior. He was also named all-district and all-conference in his final three years.

Darryl Sommerset – Power Forward

6-9 * 192 * Junior

Memphis, Tenn. * Walters State Community College

Sommerset is one of two players signed by the Mules from head coach Bill Carlyle’s powerful Walters State Community College squad that finished 27-7 and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament last year. He averaged 14 points, eight rebounds and two steals a game while earning Region VII first-team and Tournament MVP, TJCCAA first-team all-conference, and TJCCAA All-Eastern Division honors in 2004-05.

Charles Stoker Jr. – Small Forward

6-4 * 195 * Junior

DeSoto, Texas * Paris Junior College (Texas)

Stoker played for national champion Paris Junior College (Texas) last season and was on the Texas state champion DeSoto High School squad as a prepster. He was named Region XIV Co-Defensive Player of the Year two times at PJC, averaging nine points and seven boards in his career. In high school, he averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds a game, and left DeSoto as the all-time leading rebounder.

Wadale Williams – Combo Guard

5-11 * 182 * Junior

Columbia, Tenn.* Walters State Community College

Another highly touted player from Walters State Community College, Williams averaged 12 points, four assists, and 2.3 steals per outing to lead his team to a 27-7 mark last year. He was named to the NJCAA Region VII All-Tournament Team and TJCCAA All-Eastern Division for his efforts. Williams started his career at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock where he won a Sun Belt East Division Championship before transferring to Walters. He also grew up playing AAU basketball with current Mules point guard Corey Brown.

Signed scholarship offer:

*Alonzo Brooks – Forward/Center

6-7 * 230 * Junior

Greenville, N.C. * Hartnell College

A strong post player who averaged 12 points and nine rebounds as a sophomore and had 14 points, 10 boards in his freshman campaign. He was named honorable mention all-conference last season for head coach Frank Carbajal and helped Hartnell College to a 19-11 record and a berth in the California State Playoffs.

            The Mules finished 2004-05 with a 24-7 record, making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996-97. They also won the MIAA Tournament for the first time since 1984, and were the regular season conference champs for the first time since the 1984-85 season. Kim Anderson was named Wilson/MIAA Coach of the Year for his efforts on the hardwood last year.