NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans head men's basketball coach
Mark Slessinger looked to a familiar place to find the seventh member of his 2013-14 signing class, announcing the addition of East Mississippi Community College standout Micah Walker on Tuesday afternoon.
A 6-5 guard, Walker played alongside current UNO senior Traddarius McPhearson as a freshman for head coach Mark White at EMCC.
"Micah is a guy we are very happy to add to our program after having such a great career at East Mississippi." said Slessinger. "East Mississippi has a strong tradition of winning and Micah was a huge part of that for two years."
"We know he will bring some of those winning expectations to Lakefront Arena this winter."
This past season, Walker averaged 10.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game to help EMCC reach its fourth straight NJCAA tournament while also helping his squad secure a fourth consecutive NJCAA Region 23 tournament title. The production enabled Walker to earn a MACJC All-Star selection.
A sharp shooter, Walker hit at a 34 percent clip from beyond the arc and drained 42 three-pointers. The guard made at least one three-pointer in 22 of 24 games played this past season.
Prior to attending EMCC, Walker was a two-time all-conference performer for coach Wes Swift at Jonesboro (Ark.) High School.
Walker was originally born in Anchorage, Alaska before his family moved to Arkansas, where they now reside. With his Alaskan roots, Walker joins current Privateer
Tommy Hobbs in calling Alaska his birthplace.
"Micah is a big athletic wing, who already has the physical skills to be successful in the Southland Conference." said Slessinger. "He is a tough kid and a physical defender, and he has always been a tremendous shooter."
"Micah also was a terrific student at East Mississippi and we are very excited about bringing such a great student to this University."
Walker is the third junior college signee joining San Jacinto (Texas) guard Teris Bourgeois and Navarro (Texas) forward Terrance Syon. The group of junior college standouts join incoming freshman Tevin Broyles (Gauthier, Miss.), Nate Frye (Houma, La.), Christavious Gill (Alexandria, La.) and James Harrison (Houston, Texas) in filling out Slessinger's recruiting class.
2013-14 Privateer Men's Basketball Signing Class
Teris Bourgeois, Guard/Forward, 6-6, 190, Galveston, Texas (Clear Springs/San Jacinto JC)
Tevin Broyles, Guard, 6-4, 200, Gautier, Miss. (Gautier HS)
Nate Frye, Guard, 6-0, 200, Houma, La. (Houma Christian School)
Christavious Gill, Guard, 5-9, 170, Alexandria, La. (Alexandria HS)
James Harrison, Guard, 6-4, 190, Houston, Texas (Westfield HS)
Terrance Syon, Forward, 6-6, 220, Fort Worth, Texas (North Crowley/Navarro)
Micah Walker, Guard, 6-5, 190, Jonesboro, Ark. (Jonesboro/East Mississippi CC)
MEET YOUR PRIVATEERS
Teris Bourgeois, Guard/Forward, 6-6, 190, Galveston, Texas (Clear Springs/San Jacinto JC)
As a sophomore, was a third-team all-conference selection after leading San Jacinto College with 14.3 points, 6.2 rebounds per contest... Shot 51 percent from the field (129 of 253) while connecting on 83.8 percent of free throws (88 of 105)... As a freshman, named honorable mention All-Conference Selection that started every game as a freshman for coaches Jacob Wonders and Scott Gernander... Averaged 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds a game for San Jac... Coming out of high school, was ranked No. 10 in the greater Houston area by RCSSports.com and No. 47 in the state of Texas by TexasHoops.com... Averaged 16.7 points and 4.7 rebounds for Clear Springs under the direction of Chris Johnson... Four-year starter for CSHS, including a 30-6 record during senior year… Mother, Tiaa Bourgeois... Intends to major in Business.
Tevin Broyles, Guard, 6-4, 200, Gautier, Miss. (Gautier HS)
A first-team All-Region 7-5A selection following senior campaign in which he averaged 18.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and four assists per contest... Named to Sun-Herald All South Mississippi Team... Earned All-Region All-Tournament team selection... In 2011-12, was tabbed Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team Region VII-5A selection after averaging 14.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and five assists last season for head coach Keith McQueen… Parents, Chester and Gloria Broyles… Intends to major in Business.
Nate Frye, Guard, 6-0, 200, Houma, La. (Houma Christian School)
Two-sport athlete at Houma Christian, playing basketball under father Freddie and football under Chuck Battaglia... A six-year letterwinner, Frye averaged 19 points, 13 rebounds and five assists during his senior season to lead Houma Christian to fifth straight playoff berth... Following senior season, was named MVP of the Thibodaux Regional Bayou vs River All-Star Game, while also winning the slam dunk contest at the event... Holds Houma Christian all-time scoring and rebounding record with 2,618 total points and 1,643 rebounds during career… Career totals include 328 assists, 496 steals, 121 blocks and 720 made free throws… Frye earned All-State recognition his final three seasons at Houma Christian, beginning with his sophomore season following a campaign in which he averaged 21.4 points per contest and garnered regional MVP honors... Was second team All-State, in addition to first team All-Region and All-District as a junior… On the football field, Frye played quarterback, receiver and running back... During senior football season, racked up 1,896 all-purpose yards, 28 touchdowns and directed Houma Christian to first-ever playoff berth... Wendy's Heisman High School Winner… Born October 18, 1994… Parents, Freddie and Nadine... Siblings, Dominique and Emmanuel… Father Freddie played at Ozarks (Ark). University… Plans to pursue Engineering degree.
Christavious Gill, Guard, 5-9, 170, Alexandria, La. (Alexandria HS)
All-time leading scorer at Alexandria Senior High School... Four-year starter for head coach Allan Tinsley... Averaged 22.7 points per game, 6.5 assists per game and 2.0 steals per game during senior season en route to First-Team All State, First-Team All Central Louisiana, Central Louisiana Player of the Year, 3-4A All-District First-Team and 3-4A District MVP... Named Mr. Basketball of Sunkist Tournament... Named Alexandria Town Talk Central Louisiana Player of the Year in 2011-12 after averaging 20.7 points and four assists per game... A 2011-12 second-team All-State selection... Grandparents, Charles and Kathryn Woods... Intends to major in Business.
James Harrison, Guard, 6-4, 190, Houston, Texas (Westfield HS)
Three-year starter for head coach Van Price... Averaged 15 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game to earn first-team all-district, district co-MVP and All-Region accolades as a senior... Was named 'Player of the Month' for Vype Magazine at conclusion of senior campaign... Averaged 15 points and four rebounds per game as part of a first-team all-district season during junior campaign... Ranked as the No. 26 senior in the Houston area and No. 70 in the state of Texas by RCSSports.com... Parents, James and Ethel Harrison... Intends to major in Business.
Terrance Syon, Forward, 6-6, 220, Fort Worth, Texas (North Crowley/Navarro)
A two-year starter at Navarro College under head coach Johnny Estelle, helping the team to a 46-19 record and a berth in the NJCAA national tournament during freshman campaign... Averaged four points and 4.8 rebounds as a freshman, upping his production to 5.7 points and 5.8 rebounds an outing as a sophomore... In 2010-11, named 4-5A All-District selection after playing on a 31-6 program that finished the season ranked No. 7 in the state of Texas and No. 47 nationally... During 2009-10 season, was a first-team 3-5A selection on a 33-5 regional tournament squad at North Crowley, leading the program with 8.1 rebounds per game... Intends to major in Accounting
Micah Walker, Guard, 6-5, 190, Jonesboro, Ark. (Jonesboro/East Mississippi CC)
Born Micah Jamal Walker on May 14, 1993 in Anchorage, Alaska… Two-year letterman at East Mississippi Community College... Helped lead head coach Mark White's EMCC Lions to a two-year composite record of 43-14 (20-8 in 2012-13 & 23-6 in 2011-12) with back-to-back NJCAA Region 23 Tournament titles and NJCAA Tournament berths along with consecutive MACJC North Division regular-season championships... Team's third-leading scorer (10.4 ppg) and No. 4 rebounder (3.9 rpg) as a sophomore... Ranked third on the club with 42 made 3-pointers... Capped his EMCC career by competing in the 2013 MACJC All-Star Basketball Game... Scored in double-digits 15 times in 2012-13, highlighted by consecutive games with 16 and 15 points against Salt Lake and Central Arizona, respectively, at the prestigious Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout in Mesa, Ariz... Was averaging 6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for the EMCC Lions during the 2011-12 season before an Achilles injury during the year's eighth game (at home vs. Northwest Mississippi) cut short his freshman season... Made his collegiate debut by scoring a season-high 13 points on 6-of-9 field goals and collecting eight rebounds in season-opening win over Southern Sports Academy... Two-time all-conference performer for Coach Wes Swift at Jonesboro (Ark.) High School... Was averaging a team-leading 12.5 points per game, while hitting 47 percent of his 3-pointers, as a senior in 2010-11 before sustaining a season-ending leg injury late in the year.... Teammate of current Privateer Traddarius McPhearson at EMCC… Parents, Perry and Angela Walker… Siblings Perry Jr and Charity… Intends to major in Business.
