Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum announced the additions of Vance Wentz and Dray Starzl on Thursday afternoon. Wentz redshirted last season at Montana State University and will have four years of eligibility remaining. Starzl recently completed a standout career at Kearney High School in Kearney, Mo.

Wentz was a standout for the Shawnee Mission East Lancers and head coach Shawn Hair, earning second team all-state and All-Sunflower League honors. He surpassed 1,000 career points and led his team to a fourth-place finish at the state tournament as a senior. Wentz redshirted at NCAA Division I member Montana State, and will have four years of eligibility remaining at Northwest. While in high school he also lettered twice in football and played club basketball for KC Run GMC and coach LJ Goolsby. He was a teammate of current Bearcat forward Zach Schneider.

“Vance has a high basketball IQ, he is tough and most importantly, he is a proven winner,” said McCollum. “He shoots the ball well and is a solid rebounder from the guard position. Vance also fits our mold of quality, high character student-athletes and we are extremely excited that he chose to be a Bearcat.”

Starzl was an all-state performer for Gary Belcher at Kearney HS. He was also an All-Suburban Conference honoree and was named to the all-district team. He averaged 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists as a senior. A two-sportathlete, he also lettered three times in football. This year he earned KKWK, KMZU, Kearney Classic, Holiday Classic and Liberty North accolades. Starzl played club basketball for MoKan Elite and coach Jim Huber. He is the brother of Northwest forward Dillon Starzl, who completed his career this season for the Bearcats.

“Dray runs the floor well, sees the floor well, is a very good passer and can handle the ball,” McCollum commented. “He is tough and will help our program in all aspects over the years. He rebounds and is a solid post scorer and can even step out. Dray is another high character individual and a solid student that we are very excited to add.”

Starzl and Vance join Xavier Kurth as members of this year’s recruiting class. The Bearcats signed the all-state performer Kurth from Lafayette High School in St. Joseph, Mo., back in November.

2014-15 Roster Additions
Xavier Kurth       F                6-2           St. Joseph, Mo. (Lafayette HS)
Dray Starzl           F                6-8           Kearney, Mo. (Kearney HS)
Vance Wentz      F                6-4           Leawood, Kan. (Montana State/SM East HS)

— Northwest Sports Information —