by Adam Burns
Sports Editor
With eight new players for the 1997-98 season so far and another possible announcement this week, the Houston Cougars men's basketball coach Alvin Brooks has been the most prolific recruiter in Conference USA, but every other coach has kept himself busy in the race for recruits.
Memphis
Brushing aside the fact that new coaches face an uphill battle in the recruiting race, new Memphis Tigers coach Tic Price has assembled arguably the best signing class in the conference.
The Tigers appear to have dodged a bullet that came with the firing of Larry Finch. So far, San Jacinto forward Omar Sneed has not rescinded the letter of intent he sent to Memphis in the fall signing period, which was his option when Finch was booted.
Price continued with JC quick fixes, signing point guard Detric Golden from Northwest Mississippi Community College and 6-9, 235-pound forward Jermaine Ousley from Tyler Junior College.
The trio appears to more than make up for the departures of Tigers' seniors Chad Allen, Sunday Adebayo and Chris Garner.
Sneed, who originally signed with Houston out of high school but did not qualify academically, picked up San Jac on his shoulders and carried them to the JC national championships before they lost in the finals. The 6-6, 230-pound low post player can score from inside and outside. Sneed averaged 24.7 points and 11.4 rebounds while shooting 59.3 percent last season.
Golden was a second team NJCAA All-American last season and was a first team All-State in his senior year at Kingbury High School in Tennessee.
Ousley was rated the top junior college power forward in the nation by Future Stars Magazine.
Marcus Moody, a 6-5, 185-pound guard from Overton High School in Memphis, also signed.
Cincinnati
Cincinnati has major losses to recover from with the loss of seniors Damon Flint and Darnell Burton and with Conference USA Player of the Year Danny Fortson declaring for the NBA draft.
Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins has signed two junior college players, Micheal Horton and Marvin Dixon, and said he is not done with the signing period yet, which ends May 15.
Horton is a 6-1, 200-pound point guard who averaged 13.5 points and 11.1 assists for Allegany Community College in Maryland. Recruiting analyst Rick Ball called Horton one of the nation's top five junior college prospects.
Dixon, a 6-7, 215-pound forward from Odessa College in Texas, earned all-conference and all-regional recognition.
"(Horton) is a gifted athlete who can score," Huggins said. "(Dixon) is athletic and has the ability to contribute at either forward position.
"This is a good start to what we feel will be another good recruiting class."
South Florida
Only South Florida comes close to Houston when it comes to new faces for the 1997-98 season.
C-USA bottom feeders last season, the Bulls take a crack at respectability with seven new players.
The frontcourt duo of Artha Reeves and Cedric Smith out of Fork Union Military Academy in Florida shore up the frontline for USF. Reeves was the 1996 Gainesville Sun Player of the Year.
"(Reeves) can play both facing the basket and with his back to the basket," South Florida coach Seth Greenburg said. "He is an outstanding asset in the running, pressing style of play we plan to implement,"
One USF signee, 6-2 guard Haven Jackson, led Monsignor Pace High School in Miami to the 4-A state championship and was the final four MVP.
6-8 power forward Raheim Brown and 6-6 small forward Chonsey Asbury signed with South Florida along with Jackson in the fall signing period.
Recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons called Jackson, Asbury and Brown three of the top senior high school players in Florida.
Shaddrick Jenkins, a 6-3 guard from Coffeyville College in Kansas, and 6-10 forward Scott Johnson, a transfer from Virginia last season who will be eligible for play next year, round out the recruiting class for the Bulls.
UNC Charlotte
The dynamic combo of point guard Sean Colsen and DeMarco Johnson should get a big boost from 1996 NJCAA All-American swingman Galen Young.
Young signed with the 49ers in April 1996, but didn't enroll until last January. After leading Northwest Mississippi to a 30-6 record in 1996, he will still have two years of eligibility for UNCC.
The 49ers also signed high school forwards Ousseynou Kane (6-8, 210) and Charles Hayward (6-8, 220) and 6-4, 180-pound guard Dalonte Hill.
JC transfer Marlon Thomas, a 6-6 guard originally from Memphis, Tennessee, rounds out the signings to date for the 49ers.
Southern Miss
A familiar face for Houston will take the court for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles for the 1997-98 season.
Moody point guard Juan Bragg, who won Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year in 1995 for Texas Christian, but abruptly left the team in midseason in 1996, transferred to USM last season and will be eligible to play after sitting out a year.
Two prominent guards also join the fray for the Eagles. 6-7, 185-pound All-State swingman Neal Broome led Basserfield High School in Mississippi to a 22-7 record while averaging 33 points, 11 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
The Eagles also snagged point guard Mel Cauthen, who was the 5-A MVP after leading Byrd High School in Shreveport, La., to a 38-2 record, losing only in the 5-A state finals.
Southern Miss also signed 6-9, 230-pound center Vanderel Jones and 6-6 forward Kilavorus Thomson.
Saint Louis
The Billikens signed four in the fall signing period and Saint Louis assistant sports information director Doug McIlhagga said they expect another signing later this week.
Saint Louis picked up a USA Today third team All-American in 6-5 guard Larry Hughes.
"(Hughes) is an exciting player, who makes other people better," Billikens coach Charlie Spoonhour said. "He rebounds, passes, shoots and has everything you want in a player."
6-6 forward Justin Tatum, Hughes teammate at Christian Brothers High School in St. Louis and center Matt Baniak and Chris Heinrich also signed with the Billikens in the fall.
Heinrich and Baniak are both Honorable Mention All-Americans, according to Street and Smiths.
Tulane
No team loses more than Tulane in the off season, who had four senior starters last season, including Conference USA Player of the Year runner-up Jerald Honeycutt.
Tulane signee Chris Owens, a 6-7 power forward from Duncanville, Texas, made the national top 100 high school recruiting list, according to ESPN.
Marquette
The Marquette Golden Eagles picked up two ESPN top 100 players from Illinois in Ledaryl Billingsly, a 6-6 power forward, and swingman Greg Wardle. The Eagles also signed 6-11, 260-pound center Greg Clausen.
DePaul
ESPN top 100 player Hick Irvin heads the recruiting class for the DePaul Blue Demons.
The 6-2 guard from Carver High School in Chicago is joined by 6-8, 235-pound forward Maurice Sessoms, an honorable mention All-American by Blue Ribbon College Yearbook and Street and Smiths.
"(Sessoms) has a lot of good offensive skills, plus he has the strength to play in (C-USA)," Demons coach Joey Meyer said.
Willie Coleman and Devon Phillips, a pair of All-State guards from Illinois, also signed.
Alabama-Birmingham
The Blazers lose six lettermen, including All-Conference USA forward Carlos Williams.
UAB picked up swingmen Myron Ransom and LeAndrew Bass from Birmingham's West End High School in the fall. Ransom is listed as one of the ESPN top 100.
In the spring period, JC transfers DeWayne Brown, a 6-7, 260-pound forward, and Predrag Materic, a 6-6 shooting guard who averaged 19 points and 8.5 rebounds for Barton County Community College in Kansas, have signed with the Blazers.
Louisville
The Louisville Cardinals only lose two starters, but one of them is probable NBA draft pick DeJuan Wheat.
So far the Cardinals have signed freshmen to be: 6-1 guard Travis Best from Frankfort, Indiana, 6-8, 210-pound forward Hajj Turner from Charlottesville, Virginia and 7-1, 215-pound stick figure David Schrag from Winterhur, Switzerland.
Maybe Schrag and 7-2, 360-pound Houston center Adrian Taylor should switch diets.