JUCO guard Brewton signs
After an offseason consumed by departures thus far, the Memphis men’s basketball team offered a glimpse into how it plans to offset the void left by six transfers next season on Wednesday.
Junior college guard Kareem Brewton officially signed his national letter of intent to kick off college basketball’s late signing period, the university announced, and will join the Tigers’ roster for the 2017-18 campaign with two years of eligibility remaining.
The 6-foot-2 combo guard from Claxton, Ga., averaged 19.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists at Eastern Florida State College en route to being named the Southern Conference player of the year for the second season in a row. In announcing Brewton’s arrival, Memphis Coach Tubby Smith also hinted at on-court adjustments.
“Kareem is a guy that can get you a lot of points in a lot of ways,” Smith said in a statement. “He is an all-around athlete, is an outstanding team player, and a guy who can defend. We are looking for players with a certain set of skills that play the style of basketball that we want to employ — which is a pressing style — and he fits because he can guard multiple positions. He will be an outstanding addition to the Tiger family, and will have an immediate impact on the program.”
Brewton, ranked No. 22 on this year’s jucorecruiting.com top 100 list, committed to Memphis last Thursday during an official visit. He reportedly also had offers from Tennessee, Auburn, Ole Miss and Rutgers, among others.
He’s known more as a slasher than shooter, connecting on just 22 percent of his 3-point attempts this past season when he led Eastern Florida State to the National Junior College Athletic Association championship game and a school-record 31 wins. He also scored in double figures in 33 of the 36 games he played, including four performances in which he eclipsed 30 points.
Memphis also expects to sign versatile 6-foot-8 forward Kyvon Davenport. Georgia Highlands College assistant coach Matt Williams told The Commercial Appeal on Wednesday that Davenport will wait to sign at a ceremony at his junior college so his mother can attend.
They will join a 2017 recruiting class that already included three incoming freshmen in 6-foot-4 guard Jamal Johnson of Birmingham, Ala., 6-foot-7 wing David Nickelberry from Orlando and 6-foot-8 forward Victor Enoh, a Nigerian prospect who played his high school basketball in Georgia.
Even with those two additions, Memphis still has five open scholarships. Forward Matt Stanley, who is committed to Division II Ouachita Baptist, said recently he was offered by Tigers assistant Saul Smith, and 6foot-7 junior college forward Raynere Thornton plans to visit campus starting Friday.
Memphis returns just two of its top nine scorers and three scholarship players — point guard Jeremiah Martin, forward Jimario Rivers and center Karim Sameh Azab. » March 10: Memphis ends Coach Tubby Smith’s first season with an 84-54 loss to Central Florida in the AAC tournament. » March 13: Graduate transfer Chad Rykhoek announces he won’t return to Memphis next season and will seek a sixth year of eligibility elsewhere. » March 19: Sophomore guard Craig Randall announces he is transferring to another school for next season. » March 28: Tubby Smith holds end-of-season news conference in which he stated, “We expect everybody to be back unless we hear something different.” » April 5: Brothers Dedric and K.J. Lawson announce they plan to transfer to another school. » April 6: Junior college guard Kareem Brewton announces his commitment to Memphis while on a campus visit. » April 8: Freshman guard Keon Clergeot announces he won’t return to Memphis next year. » April 9: Junior college forward Kyvon Davenport commits to Memphis. » April 10: Keelon Lawson announces Dedric and K.J. Lawson are headed to Kansas. » April 10: Markel Crawford announces he will seek a graduate transfer at another school. » April 11: Memphis AD Tom Bowen releases statement about men’s basketball transfers.