Signing Day

Today was Early Period Signing Day for many of the non-football sports, including Green Wave sports like basketball, baseball, volleyball and (forthcoming) golf. Today athletes who've committed to the school of their choice early can finish off the recruiting process by officially inking a letter of intent instead of waiting until the Spring. Of course, this isn't without controversy, as sports like cross country have eliminated the practice of early signing altogether (here's another article from 2003 in opposition to early signing, which shows how long the debate has persisted). Controversy aside, here is a lowdown on the players that signed with Tulane today:

Men's Basketball:
Head coach Dave Dickerson signed a pair of Texas guards today. The first was Trent Rogers, 6'3" combo guard from Houston Strake Jesuit who was all-district as a junior, averaged 10 points and 3.4 rebounds per game and shot 59 percent from the field last season. That's right, 59 percent. An all-district performer, Rogers served as team captain and was named to the Houston Chronicle All-City second team. Rivals has him ranked as the No. 11 player in Texas
. Last year the Green Wave scouted and offered another Strake Jesuit guard, Sei Paye (who chose LA-Monroe). Don't be too alarmed about the scoring average -- Strake Jesuit has a ton of scorers and playmakers, and Rogers' numbers should go up this season with Paye and others graduated.

Dickerson on Rogers (link):
"Trent is a very complete guard and is kind of a `throwback' type player. He's not a true one, two or three guard, but a hardworking guard who is smart enough to play the point in Conference USA and a good enough shooter to play anywhere in guard rotation. We are very excited to have him join our program because he will give us a great guard combination with our current players. Trent comes from a well-coached team with head coach Wayne Jones, who is a former college player, and he is attending a high academic school, so I believe he will make the transition from high school to Tulane quickly."

The second was Kendall Timmons, a 6'5" shooting guard from Southwest High School. He's the prototypical guy Dickerson likes -- gets after the boards, plays lock-down defense, and shoots the ball well. We posted about him a few months ago when the team announced his commitment. While he's fairly low by recruiting services, I think Timmons may be a big-time sleeper that was overlooked for whatever reason (height? lack of gaudy stats?). His game fits the current landscape of college basketball, where versatility, defense and shooting are at a premium.

Dickerson on Timmons:

"Kendall is another highly rated player from the state of Texas, who should come here next year and give us instant offense. He is well-schooled on the offensive side of the ball and we are excited about that aspect of his game. He has the ability to be a double-double type player in Conference USA early in his career. Kendall will give us the luxury of playing more of an up-tempo style of defensive system. He will be an exciting player to watch on both ends of the court during his four years."


Baseball

As always, Rick Jones signed an amazing recruiting class and, like Dickerson, tapped into the Texas recruiting pool to sign many of his prospects. The recruits include OF/CF Canyon Ramirez (TX), LHP T.J House (MS), C Jeremy Schaffer (TX), OF Ross Seaton (TX), SS/3B/P Carson Blair (TX), and RHP Ryan Doiron (LA). Schaffer and Seaton, both from Houston, are outstanding prospects who should contribute from the start.

Other Sports
Women's Basketball signed two, Women's Golf signed four , and Women's Tennis signed two.