Missouri State will welcome DePaul transfer Michael Bizoukas to its men’s basketball program for the 2011-12 season, head coach Paul Lusk announced today (May 18). Bizoukas completed his undergraduate degree in management at DePaul this spring and chose to transfer for his final season of eligibility.

He will be eligible to play for the Bears immediately due to NCAA post-graduate transfer rules.

Bizoukas is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound point guard who signed with the Blue Demons out of Munster High School in Munster, Ind. He earned a medical redshirt after his freshman season in 2007-08 and has played in 86 total games at DePaul. During his junior season in 2010-11, he played in 28 contests, averaging 16.0 minutes and posting an impressive 2.55 assist-to-turnover ratio as a top reserve for the Big East program.

“Michael is a seasoned veteran who can come in and help our program right away,” Lusk said. “He is a smart player, takes care of the basketball and will represent our program well in the classroom and on the floor. We are thrilled to have him as part of the Missouri State family.”

Though the Blue Demons lost 18 of their final 19 games to end a 7-24 campaign, Bizoukas was a model of consistency off the bench for coach Oliver Purnell. He finished fourth on the club in assists (51) and steals (26), while averaging 1.3 points and 1.5 rebounds. Down the stretch, he averaged 2.5 assists over the last 10 contests and earned 20 minutes or more in five of DePaul’s last nine games.

As a sophomore, he was named to the Big East All-Academic Team and earned seven starts, averaging 19.6 minutes, 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds. He also made good on 10-of-19 (.526) three-point field goals in 2009-10 and notched a pair of eight-assist efforts. He also posted nine rebounds against UIC on Dec. 13, 2009.

During his redshirt freshman season, he had six starts, led the Blue Demons in assists seven times, and finished the year averaging 2.0 points and 1.6 rebounds.

Bizoukas, whose father Nicholas played basketball at Purdue, posted his career high 12 points at Seton Hall on Dec. 14, 2010.

As a standout prep performer, Bizoukas held a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in high school and was a Street & Smith’s All-America honorable mention selection his senior year. He averaged 15.7 points, 6.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game in 2006-07 for coach Mike Hackett. He also played in the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Game, earned first-team All-State and Academic All-State laurels, and was named regional MVP by the Indianapolis Star.

He is the seventh addition to the Bears’ roster for 2011-12, including three commitments from high school seniors and a trio of junior college transfers. Missouri State returns six lettermen from the 2010-11 Missouri Valley Conference championship squad that finished 26-9 overall and was 15-3 in the MVC.