WELCOME ADDITIONS
Brock adds pair of guards from Division I schools in U.S. to men’s hoops team //
Three transfers, including two who played Division 1 at programs in New York state, highlight Willy Manigat’s first full recruiting class as Brock University men’s basketball head coach.
Six-foot-five Jevon Brown and six-foot-three Tyler Plummer, both guards, have one and two years of eligibility remaining, respectively, after competing at Binghamton University and Wagner College last season. Six-foot-eight forward Jesse Barnes played with University of Victoria last year in his third year of eligibility.
They join six-foot-five redshirt guard Lucas Orlita and six- foot guard McFadden Jeans, the lone freshman in the incoming class, as newcomers being counted on to help the Badgers make the playoffs for the sixth season in a row.
Orlita is in his final year of eligibility after playing four seasons in the Ontario University Athletics conference with the Windsor Lancers.
Jeans is coming to Brock after attending Montmorency College in Laval, Que.
Manigat, whose team tied for third in the Central Division with a 12-10 record in his first season at the helm, called the recruiting class one of the few bright spots in a year in which COVID-19 has cancelled all high school and post-secondary sports until at least January. “These players joining us are one of the exciting parts about this year, especially with the state of the world,” he said.
Manigat is eager to begin building team chemistry between returning players and the recruits. “For those who don’t coach, they don’t fully understand how important the character of an athlete impacts your team culture, especially when you’re winning and losing,” he said. “These players we enjoy being around.
“We know what they stand for, and that they’re all in when it comes to basketball.”
The men’s basketball team is taking part in controlled training sessions on campus with Brock Sports Performance coaches due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“This is an exciting time for me and our team despite COVID-19, and we’re still going to try to get the best out of this year in a safe manner,” Manigat said.
“We have to be ready for when life goes back to normal.”