Special to the Review

The Trinity Valley Community College men’s basketball program has announced its incoming recruiting class for the 2009-10 school year.

The newest additions to the Cardinals are 6’0” point guard Jeff Stubbs (Jackson, Mississippi), 6’9” post Isaiah Rusher (Houston, Texas; transfer from the University of New Mexico), 6’5” wing Decario Tidwell (Charlotte, North Carolina), 6’3” guard Reggie Sanders (Flint, Michigan; transfer from Wayne State University), 5’10” point guard Darius Gaston (Houston), 6’2” wing Xavier Williamson(Georgetown, Texas) and 6’6” wing-post Kwame Lawrance (Jamaica).

Stubbs averaged 22 points per game along with 7 assists as a senior at Ridgeland High School with a season high 42 points while being named as one of the top 10 players in the State of Mississippi.

Rusher was named as one of the top 10 players in Texas High School ranks as a senior before playing prep ball at Mississippi Elite. He signed with the University of New Mexico while being recruited by numerous High Major D-I programs. He will be a freshman at TVCC this fall.

Tidwell is a tremendous athlete who averaged 21 points per game and 11 rebounds at Quality Education Prep School in Charlotte this past season.

Sanders averaged 20 points per game in high school before attending Wayne State University in Michigan where he was named runner-up for Freshman of the Year.

He averaged 10 points per game and 6 rebounds this past season for D-II Wayne State.

Gaston led Klein Forest High School to a 23-6 recored while averaging 15 points per game and being named 1st team All District.

Lawrance is an outstanding leaper from Jamaica where he was a teammate of current Cardinal Adrian Forbes.

The group of newcomers will join 6 returnees who helped TVCC finish with a record lof 21-11 last season while compiling a 12-7 regional record.

The returnees include Adrian Forbes (6’8” soph., Jamaica), Ernest “Stretch” Watson (6’7”, Washington, D.C.), Derrick Young (6’4”, Mobile, Alabama), Phadarius Taylor (6’1”, Jacksonville, Fla.), Keandre Derrick (6’1”, Dallas) and Stephon Mudiay (6’7”, Mansfield). Also returning is redshirt freshman Matt Moody (6’2” wing) from Mansfield.

“We are very elated with this group of incoming players,” said TVCC Head Coach Patrick Smith, “We feel we have added a lot of scoring potential and athleticism. At the same time, they are going to be strong complements to a very strong returning group which hopefully will contend for regular season and regional championships. I sincerely feel our talent level has continually improved and we are much better and deeper than we were a year ago. Now, that’s on paper and it’s up to us to go out there and get it done on the court. Coach Guy Furr and I are very anxiously looking forward to starting the school year and our pre-season workouts.”