Heading into his third season at the helm, Trinity Valley Community College head basketball coach Pat Smith wanted his team to become more athletic and versatile.

Mission accomplished.

“I’m excited about what this team can do in terms of pressure defense and having five players on the floor at all times who have offensive skills,” Smith said this week as the new Cardinal team reported to the campus.

Smith and assistant coach Guy Furr concentrated on recruiting players possessing speed and agility. The coaching staff also focused on finding players with better overall size and length than last year’s team as well as recruiting post players who can play inside or out on the perimeter.

Another goal, said Smith, was to make sure every player on the floor could score.

“We felt a tremendous need for improved athleticism and versatility with our players,” said Smith.

Returning to lead the Cardinals will be 5’9” point guard Amir Rashid who averaged 14 points and 7 assists per game last season and was named honorable mention All-Conference.

Joining Rashid will be five players who attended TVCC and redshirted last spring.

Derrick Young is a 6-4, 220-pound. freshman transfer from NCAA Division I Jacksonville State University. He averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds per game for Leflore High School (Mobile, Ala.) while helping his high school team win the Alabama 6A State Title.

His high school teammate, Jay Leashore, is a 5-10 point guard who had high school averages of 7 points per game and 7 assists. Last year, Leflore High School finished ranked sixth in the national high school rankings.

Stephon Mudiay is a 6-7, 200-pound. freshman from Mansfield Summitt High School and averaged 11 pts., 5 rebounds while earning All-District honors.

Phadarius Taylor is a 6-1, 190-pound guard who compiled averages of 18 points and 7 rebounds while being named the player of the year in Jacksonville, Fla., and was named to second team All-State.

Reuben Newbold is a 6-6, 180-pound. forward from Miami, Fla., who averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds per game for American High School.

The Cardinals are extremely excited about the newcomers to their program, said Smith.

“I’m very pleased with what on paper looks like a very quality recruiting class,” said Smith.

Ernest Watson is a 6-7, 180-pound freshman forward from Washington, D.C., who averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds per game for Progressive Christian High School. He was ranked post-season the 27th best power in the country by Prep Spotlight and recruited by numerous NCAA Division I Universities.

Marcus Martin is a 6-7, 195-pound freshman forward from Austin who transferred from NCAA Division I Centenary University, where he redshirted as a freshman. Martin posted game averages of 22 points and 10 rebounds with a high of 42 points while playing for Crockett High School.

Adrian Forbes is 6-8, 220-pound freshman from Spanish Town, Jamaica, who prepped at Notre Dame Academy in New Hampshire. While at Notre Dame Academy, he averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Edward Herring is a 6-4, 210-pound sophomore wing from Cincinnati, Ohio. He averaged 18 points and 7 rebounds per game. He is a transfer from Olney Central (Illinois) Jr. College, where he posted 15 points and 5 rebounds per game.

Another wing joining TVCC is 6-1, 175-pound freshman Klevin Exantus from Pleasantville, N.J., who averaged 17 points and 8 rebounds per game while being named All-South Jersey.

Maurice Mendoza is a 6-6, 185-pound freshman wing from Pittsburg, Penn.

Two other freshman guards coming on board are 6-0, 180-pound Dexter Ellington from Cuthbert, Ga. He averaged 22 points per game and was named first team All-State.

Rounding out the Cardinals roster is Keandre Derrick, the son of former TVCC great Neill Derrick. While playing at Skyline High School, the younger Derrick earned an average of 16 and 5 rebounds per game from Skyline High School.

“After two straight regional tournament appearances, we are looking forward to taking the next level. I appreciate the efforts of Coach Furr and all the time he has put into this recruiting class,” said Smith.