Raiders Sign Walls
5/11/2002 12:00:00 PM | General
May 11, 2002
Raiders Sign Walls
Lloyd Walls, a 6-9, 230-pound center at Irvine Valley College in California, has signed a national letter of intent to attend Wright State University and play basketball for the Raiders next fall, WSU head coach Ed Schilling announced today.
Walls played in and started 32 games as IVC posted a 24-10 overall record. As a sophomore, he averaged 6.0 points and 5.8 rebounds and shot 57.7% from the field.
"We are really excited about Lloyd's decision," Schilling said. "We believe that he brings much needed size, strength and depth to our program. Additionally, he will fit in well with our team and will add to our chemistry. A quality team is not just a group of talented players, but players that have talents that compliment each other. Lloyd Walls will be an asset to our program on and off the court."
The Lasers have compiled a record 146-85 under seven-year head coach Jerry Hernandez.
"Lloyd is big, raw-boned kid who likes to play physical and unselfish basketball," Hernandez said. "He's also a great student and a quality person who really enjoyed his official visit to Wright State and felt he would fit in with the other players. I believe his best days of basketball are ahead of him at Wright State."
While at Esperanza (CA) High School, Walls was named all-league and the team MVP as he averaged 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks as a senior. A member of his high school Hall of Fame, the California native was also named scholar-athlete three times. He averaged 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game as a freshman, playing behind Mike Ahmad who is now playing at Utah State. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
"I was very impressed with Wright State through the whole recruiting process," Walls said. "Coach Schilling has a great system where he plays players based on their strengths so they feel comfortable. I also felt at home during my visit with the players and coaches and that was a big selling point."
During the early signing period, the Raiders signed Donta Patterson, Mark Surgalski and Andrew Burleson. Also, Trent Vaughn became a Raider last month.
Patterson, a 6-1 senior guard at Brookhaven High School near Columbus, OH, ended the season averaging 8.8 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 59.3% from the field. Brookhaven finished 27-1 and won the Ohio Division I State Championship.
Surgalski, a 6-8, 200-pound forward, averaged 20.6 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game and shot 60.5% from the field for Ashland (KY) Paul Blazer High School. While being named the state's second team, he helped Blazer to advance to the Sweet 16 and post an 18-game winning streak. He was also named the Region 16 Player of the Year.
Burleson, a 6-6 forward, led Wheelersburg (OH) High School in scoring at 28.1 points per game while averaging 7.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.7 steals. He shot 59.4% from the field, 30.9% from three and 69.7% from the free throw line. Among his many honors were Southern Conference Player of the Year and Division III Player of the Year. He helped the Pirates to 21-3 mark as a senior.
Vaughn, a 6-4 forward, led Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Mississippi in scoring, averaging 18.1 points as well as 8.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 39.6% from three-point range and 74.1% from the free throw line. The Indians went 22-7 last year and advanced to the Junior College Tournament of 16 at Hutchinson Community College.
Wright State finished 17-11 last year after going 18-10 the year before to post the most wins in a two-year period at WSU in the last ten years.
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