Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Mississippi Valley State Men’s Basketball Inks Eight

HEAD COACH ANDRE PAYNE
ITTA BENA, Mississippi -- The recruitment period allotted for men's basketball is underway and Andre Payne,  Head Men's basketball coach, has been making huge strides in building a solid Delta Devils' team.

Payne stated, "This year recruiting class we have added more scoring from the Guard position. We have signed some very athletic guys that going to allow us to play the up tempo style."

Kylan Phillips, will be close to home, as he travels from Memphis, Tennessee, to join the Delta Devils of MVSU. Phillips is a four-year letterman for Mitchell High School (Memphis), where he played for Head Coach Faragi Phillips, his father. He helped lead the team to a career high school record of 112-29. He also led the team to two consecutive state championships (2014 & 2015) and one runner-up state championship (2012). Four consecutive TSSAA Tournament appearances, three year starter and during the 2014-15 season, he averaged 15 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.9 steals per game. Phillips scored over 1000 points, had over steals and over 250 assists. In 2015 he was named to the TSSAA State Tournament 1st Team, Regional Tournament 1st Team twice (14 & 15), All-District 1st Team three times (13,14 & 15), 2014 and 2015 City Championship Game MVP, two time Commercial Appeal's Best of the Preps in 2014 and 2015.

Phillips was a major cog in the Mitchell High basketball machine. Flanked by two team mates that were prolific scorers, Phillips job was to set them up. As the son of a coach, Phillips has the ability to see the game from another perspective. His basketball IQ is off the charts. Kylan is also a pest on the defensive end. He's the type of aggravating defender that gets under the ball handler and causes turn-overs. This past season, Kylan helped led Memphis Mitchell to the Class A Tennessee State Championship during his junior campaign. Watch out for Kylan Phillips this Summer with the Memphis Hoopers



Rashaan Surles is a 6'5 point guard hailing from Chicago, Illinois. Last season (2014-15) he led McLennan Community College to a 23-8 record.



Dusan Langura, a 6'4 shooting guard transferred from University of Georgia, where he graduated in two and a half years.



Darrel Riley, a point guard from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, averaged 38 points a game. Riley is a 5'8 Milwaukee City Conference Player of the Year. This honor was bestowed upon him during his senior year, when he averaged 37.6 points per game while playing for the North Blue Devils.



Ronald Strother, 6'5 forward joins the Delta Devils after a successful career at Hueytown High School in Hueytown, Alabama. During his time there he was named to the Birmingham Metro Team and the All-Tournament Team in the Jefferson County Tournament. He averaged 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks per game.



Damian Young, 6'3 wing from Loganville, Georgia. In high school at Grayson, in 2011-12, he was named to the Long Beach High School 2nd Team All-Conference and South Mississippi All-Star game participant. During the 2012-13 school year he was named All County Defensive Players, averaging five steals per game and MVP of Walnut Grove Christmas Tournament. As a participant in the Gwinnett County All-Star Game, Young finished with 17 points. The freshman year of his junior college career, he (Young) had a season high 29 points and 10 rebounds in 15 minutes of conference play. His sophomore year he had 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and 22 minutes per game and in the final game of the regional tournament finished with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks.



Marcus Romain, a 6'2 guard from Brooklyn, New York, who averaged 17.5 points, 5 rebounds and three assists per games while at East Los Angeles College. He was named All State 1st Team twice and has been a conference champion.



Amir Savon, a 6'7 forward comes to Mississippi Valley from Woodstock, Georgia, he averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks and four assists per game. He shot 70 percent from the free throw line and 68 percent within the two-point coverage.



Men's basketball is expecting a couple more post players to join the team, after they conclude their junior college courses.

COURTESY MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

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