ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western head men’s basketball coach Sundance Wicks has announced the signings of four student-athletes for the 2019-20 season.
JaRon Thames, Logan Dolan, Nico Felici and Caleb Bennett will join Reese Glover and Alex John, who signed during the early signing period, as new Griffons next season.
“Let me start off by saying that I could not be more proud of our assistants, Will Martin and Ty Danielson, and the job they did developing meaningful relationships and recruiting outstanding young men in our 2019 class,” Wicks said. “This class as a whole is exactly what we envisioned in regards to filling our program’s micro and macro needs. We have impact players surrounded with tough-minded winners.”
Caleb Bennett
6-5 | St. Joseph, Mo. | Lehigh University
Bennett returns home to St. Joseph after two years at Division I Lehigh. Before a late-season injury cut his sophomore year short, Bennett averaged 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds for the Mountain Hawks. As a freshman at Lehigh, Bennett averaged 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds with 24 assists and 11 steals. He scored a career-high 23 points vs. Boston University as a freshman and averaged 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds over his two seasons. Bennett was a three-time All-State selection at Lafayette High School. Following his senior season, Bennett was the No. 3 ranked player in Missouri by Prep Hoops.
Wicks on Bennett: “Impact Player. There aren’t too many things you can say about CB that haven’t already been spoken about him as a basketball player. He is an elite athlete with a tremendous feel for the game. CB makes difficult plays look extremely easy! Hidden behind his athleticism is his ability to shoot the ball. The city of St. Joseph gets to welcome back with open arms one of the most electrifying players in this country. However, what I am most excited about is his locker room leadership. Caleb is a veteran player that will be a fourth-year junior when he suits up for the Griffs. Since my first meeting with CB, I knew he had the right soul for this program. I love how Caleb approaches responsibility and leadership and he is going to have a huge impact on this community and our program. He is the perfect fit!”
Logan Dolan
6-5 | Broken Arrow, Okla. | Broken Arrow High School
Dolan was named Frontier Valley All-Conference and to the Skiatook All-Tournament Team. He averaged 17 points, five rebounds and three assists per game as a senior.
Wicks on Dolan: “Sniper; flat out torch! Logan is a long, rangy shooter with a great feel for the game. What I love most about his game is how well he moves without the basketball and can score with his feet. Logan is a tireless worker and a flat out gym rat. When Logan adds some weight to his long frame he will be one of the more elite shooters in our program. Logan wanted to be a Griff and we love guys who want to be Griffs!”
Nico Felici
6-2 | Bellevue, Neb. | Bellevue West High School
A four-year starter at Bellevue West, Felici averaged 14.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and two assists in his career. He became the fourth 1,000 point scorer in Bellevue history and was an 82 percent free throw shooter and a 40 percent three-point shooter. Felici was names second team All-Metro Conference and first team Bellevue Leader.
Wicks on Felici: “Tough Minded Winner; absolute winner. As we began to recruit Nico all we kept hearing about was his innate toughness and how he was always considered the most important player on his championship-level teams year in and year out. He is all of that and more. He is the type of player that will do anything in his power to help his team win and win consistently. He spends countless hours in the gym and gets better every time he steps on the court. Nico has a high basketball IQ and makes the right plays when they are needed. His leadership will be ever evolving in our program and I believe we got a steal with him!”
JaRon Thames
6-5 | St. Louis, Mo. | Trinity Catholic High School
Thames averaged 15 points, six rebounds and five assists at Trinity Catholic. He was named All-Conference and All-State. Thames helped Trinity Catholic to a 25-4 record last season, losing in the Class 3 quarterfinals to eventual state champion Vashon.
Wicks on Thames: “Swiss Army Knife. If you were going to put a basketball player in a body, you would make it in a Thames Frame! JaRon has such a unique combination of skill and length and that means he has the chance to make an immediate impact in our program. JT reminds me of Magic Johnson! He’s a 6-6 point forward with beautiful passing skills, an outstanding feel in the open court, three-level scoring ability and is deceptively athletic. Once this community gets to know JT they will see he has a great personality, a big heart and is going to be very impactful Griff on the court and in the community!”
— MWSU Athletics —