Paris announces four new Mocs’ hoops signees
Chattanooga Mocs head men’s basketball coach Lamont Paris has been on a bit of a whirlwind ride in his first month on the job. Part of that is recruiting for the 2017-18 season. To that end, he recently announced his initial four signees for the 2016-17 class.
Three high school seniors and a four-year transfer are the first to sign with the 20th head coach in school history. Justin Brown, Jonathan Bryant II and James Lewis, Jr., are the trio from the prep ranks, while Jerry Johnson, Jr., comes to Gig City from Fairfield University.
Brown nearly averaged a doubledouble posting 11.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.2 blocks per game for Gene Nolan at Marist High School in Chicago. He helped lead the Red Hawks to a stellar 27-4 record in 2016-17, 8-1 in winning the East Suburban Catholic Conference.
He improved his scoring average by more than four points and his rebounds nearly doubled.
Bryant holds several career records at Oakleaf High School in Orange Park, Fla., a suburb of Jacksonville. He set new marks for season (490 points as a junior) and career scoring (1,381) playing for Jason Price. He’s also the career record holder for rebounds, steals, 3-pointers made and attempted, field goals made and attempted and free throws made and attempted.
Lewis completed a post-graduate year at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., in 2017. The future150.com twostar pick averaged 18 points and 11 boards at Phillips under Terrell Ivory’s tutelage. That came after a strong prep career in North Carolina.
The Mount Holly native completed his high school career at Northside Christian Academy in Charlotte tallying 16 points and 12 rebounds per game for Byron Dinkins. He moved to Northside from Gaston Day in Gastonia where he posted a double-double average of 11.4 points and 10.3 boards per contest.
Johnson returns to his southern roots from Fairfield, a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Memphis native started 14 of his 55 collegiate appearances averaging 9.8 points and 3.0 rebounds shooting 36.1 percent from 3-point range.
He recorded double figures 28 times with three 20-point efforts including a high of 26 at Iona this season. Johnson spent the bulk of his high school career at Houston High School in Germantown, Tenn. The All-Metro performer for the Mustangs completed his prep career at Notre Dame Prep School in Fitchburg, Mass.
Johnson ranked 13th in Massachusetts, 48th in New England, by New England Recruiting Report and was a twostar prep prospect per verbalcommits. com. He helped lead the Crusaders to the 2015 National Prep Championship tourney.
The quartet joins Joan Duran from the early signing period. Duran, a 6-7 forward who prepped at Hamilton Heights Academy in Chattanooga under former Mocs guard Zach Ferrell, is a junior college transfer from Eastern Florida State College.
Duran averaged 9.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game helping lead the Titans to the NJCAA Division I Championship game.