Demon basketball adds three signees on opening day of early period

[Guest abovetherim]

NATCHITOCHES — James Hulbin, a 6-foot-7 forward from Shreveport-Booker T. Washington High School, joined two Texas prep standouts, Cory Dixon and Darius Richardson, as the first three members of the 2007-08 recruiting class for coach Mike McConathy and the Northwestern State Demons basketball program.

Dixon, Hulbin and Richardson officially committed to Northwestern Wednesday on the opening day of the early signing period. They will arrive on campus next year to prepare for the 2008-09 season.

Recruiting coordinator and assistant coach Mark Slessinger said the Demons may add another couple of signees shortly.

“We’re very excited to officially bring Cory, James and Darius into our basketball family,†said McConathy, who has taken the Demons to two NCAA Tournament wins and five Southland Conference Tournament championship game appearances in his first eight seasons at NSU. “They bring not only their basketball skills, but the right kind of approach to the game and to life away from basketball.â€

Hulbin averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds last year for a 31-7 BTW team that reached the second round of the state playoffs under coach Tony Reliford and assistant coach Carl Harris. Hulbin had 20 points and 6 rebounds Tuesday night in the 2007-08 opener for the Lions.

“James is a very explosive scorer who can really shoot from the perimeter. He has size and can play the high and low post as well as some wing in our offensive system,†said McConathy. “James is another addition to our program from Shreveport-Bossier City, which is a basketball-rich area that has been good to Demon basketball. As he continues to develop both physically and skill-wise, we believe he could be a great player in our system.â€

Hulbin (6-7, 210) was also a key player during the summer for the Louisiana Roundballers AAU team coached by Harris and including 2007 spring signee William Mosley. The Roundballers finished fifth in their age group in the national championship tournament in Orlando.

Richardson (6-7, 185), a guard from Fort Worth Polytechnic, is a versatile talent regarded by the Demons as “one of the biggest sleepers in the DFW Metroplex,†said McConathy. “Darius is highly skilled for his size and is continuing to grow and mature on a daily basis.

“Darius is a quality person who will be able to play point guard to power forward depending on what we need, and his versatility will make him extremely valuable,†said McConathy. “We were very impressed with coach (Alfred) Jones, his coaching staff, the administration and teachers at Poly High School. They sincerely care about Darius and it is reflected in his development.â€

Richardson averaged 14 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks last season.

Dixon comes from the same high school as Lady Demon freshman guard Brooke Shepherd and was voted team captain by his teammates for his senior season.

“Cory is a very skilled inside player who has an unbelievable upside. He has been blessed to have tremendous high school coaching and will come to us with a great basketball base in place,†said McConathy. “Cory will be a great piece in hopefully many more successful teams here at NSU. He will continue to improve and develop as the year goes on.â€

Dixon played for coach John King at Argyle and for coach Keith Howell on the GS2 Magic summer AAU team.

http://www.nsudemons.com/story.asp?ID=3290

[KFDM COOP]

3 good ones!