Missouri State men’s basketball head coach Paul Lusk announced Wednesday (Nov. 9) the receipt of National Letters of Intent from three high school recruits at the onset of the early signing period which runs through Nov. 16.
Committing to the Bears are:
o Bruce Marshall (C, 6-10, 205, Fr., Fayette, Mo., Fayette High)
o Marcus Marshall (SG, 6-2, 180, Fr., St. Paul, Minn., Johnson High)
o Gavin Thurman (PF, 6-7, 210, Fr., Wichita, Kan., Heights High)
“I feel like we have addressed some of the needs we anticipate for next year with some quality players who will be great additions to our program,” said Lusk who has four seniors on his 2011-12 roster.
Bruce Marshall is a rapidly-developing big man who entered high school at just 6-foot-1 and enters his senior season with the range of a shooting guard and inside skills of a solid 6-foot-10 post prospect. He averaged 11.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game as a junior for Coach Chris Kendrick’s Falcons who finished 19-6 a year ago. He also notched 11.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game as an upstart sophomore on a 21-7 squad. He was a member of the Rameybasketball AAU club and selected Missouri State over fellow suitor Air Force.
“Bruce is very long and mobile and has the ability to stretch the defense with his face-up game,” Lusk explained. “He has a great shooting touch, and as he continues to grow into his frame, he will be a difficult match-up at the college level.”
Marcus Marshall (no relation to Bruce) averaged 16.0 points per game last winter for Coach Vern Simmons’ Governors at Johnson High in St. Paul, Minn. His team posted a 23-3 ledger last season. He is a three-star recruit, according to Rivals.com, is noted by ESPN as the No. 3 recruit in the state of Minnesota, and selected Missouri State over Green Bay, Kent State, Murray State, Indiana State and others.
“He comes from a good high school program that won the state title in Minnesota a couple years ago,” Lusk said. “He is good with the ball, distributes well and is a talented scorer. He has the ability to create his own shot and set people up. We are happy to have him.”
Gavin Thurman scored 18.5 points and collected 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 blocks per contest as a prep junior for Coach Carl Taylor at Southeast High School in Wichita his junior season. After leading the Golden Buffalo to a 13-9 season last year, he transferred to Heights High School for his senior campaign and is rated as a three-star recruit by both Rivals.com and ESPN. The AAU standout for KC Pump ‘N Run is rated as the No. 4 recruit in the state of Kansas and received scholarship offers from Nevada, Wichita State, Iowa, Fresno State, Colorado State, Western Kentucky and Drake.
“He has the ability to be like a point-forward,” Lusk noted of the highly-touted prep standout. “He can handle the ball, pass, drive to the basket, score in a variety of ways and make good decisions on the floor. He is a very versatile player.”
After the conclusion of the early signing period, the spring signing period for basketball runs April 11 to May 16, 2012.
Lusk and the Bears open the 2011-12 season this Friday at Nevada for a 9 p.m. tipoff.
— MSU Sports Information —