Missouri State University has announced the receipt of commitments from two St. Louis-area high school standouts to its men’s basketball program for the 2009-10 season.
High school seniors Jerome Jones (6-5, 201, SG, St. Louis, Mo., Miller Career Academy) and Keith Pickens (6-4, 190, SG, St. Louis, Mo., Oakville High) have both signed National Letters of Intent and announced their intentions to play for coach Cuonzo Martin’s Bears next season.
Jones averaged 17.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a junior in 2007-08 at Miller Career Academy in St. Louis. He was an all-conference and second team all-state performer as a junior, while earning Post-Dispatch honorable mention all-metro distinction. He is regarded as one of the top athletes in St. Louis this season. As a sophomore, he averaged 13.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game and was invited to the Nike Top 100 Hoop Jamboree. He has also been a key player for the St. Louis Eagles AAU team.
Pickens averaged 13.0 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Oakville High School Tigers last season, also accounting for 2.3 blocks and 1.7 assists per game and making 37 percent of his three-pointers. As a sophomore, he averaged 7.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest. He is regarded as a great leaper, scorer and rebounder and escalated his stock over the summer with his performance on the Rameybaasketball.com squad.
"They are both strong athletes who can get up and down the floor, and we’re very happy they have chosen Missouri State," said MSU’s first-year head coach Cuonzo Martin. "We look forward to having them as a part of our program and our University."
The Bears open their 2008-09 season with a two-game road trip that begins Friday night at Auburn (7 p.m.). The Bears will open their new $67 million home facility, JQH Arena (11,000) on Saturday, November 22 against Arkansas at 7:05 p.m.
Story courtesy of Missouri State athletics
