Apr. 16, 2009

Red Flash Men’s Basketball Announces Addition of Two Talented Incoming Freshmen

LORETTO, Pa. –Saint Francis University head men’s basketball coach Don Friday announced on Thursday that two more incoming freshmen have joined his first recruiting class, and will play for the Red Flash beginning in 2009-10 season.

Anthony Ervin (Chesterfield, Va. / Fork Union Military Academy) and Will Felder (Cleveland, Ohio / Lutheran East) signed national letters of intent on the first two days of the late signing period to secure scholarships to attend Saint Francis University.

Ervin and Felder join Ronald Johnson (Gettysburg, Pa. / Gettysburg) and Umar Shannon (Atlantic City, N.J. / Atlantic City), who signed national letters of intent in November, during the early signing period.

“As it stands right now with this incoming class of four players, along with Cedric Latimer and Curtis Keys, we have addressed an enormous need for athleticism and versatility from our one through five spots in this program,” said Friday, who will enter his second season at the helm of Saint Francis in the fall. “We feel that these guys, with their versatility and length, give us some interchangeable pieces that will help us compete for a Northeast Conference championship. I think that it is important to note that these kids coming in are going to be good compliments to a good returning corps of Devin Sweetney and Mislav Jukic, along with the other experience that we have returning.

“We now can get 14 or 15 guys onto our practice court. One of the biggest things for us to do right now is that we need to create a competitive environment in practice, not just on the game court. It’s the other 110-plus practice nights of the year where we need to create that competition. With the players we have coming back, combined with this class, we will be accomplishing that. These guys are going to help right away.”

Ervin is a 6-foot, 4-inch shooting guard out of Chesterfield, Va., where he attended Manchester High School and was a two-year captain under head coach Chad Long. While in high school, Ervin was one of the top players in the region as a junior and a senior, leading the district in scoring both seasons. He averaged 28.5 ppg as a junior, and 22.4 ppg as a senior. Ervin picked up his share of accolades along the way as he was named first team all-district as a junior and senior. He was second team all-region and second team all-metro as a senior, and was a McDonald’s All-American nominee for his prowess on the court. As a senior, Ervin’s AAU team, the Richmond Metros, was seventh in the nation for the boys U-17 and under national tournament. He was AAU teammates with Ed Davis, who recently won a national title as a member of the North Carolina men’s basketball team. East Carolina’s Jamar Abrams, Virginia Commonwealth’s Brandon Rozzell and Michigan football player Marrell Evans were also AAU teammates of Ervin’s.

Ervin is currently under legendary head coach Fletcher Arritt at Fork Union Military Academy, where Ervin is a second year postgraduate. As a team captain this past season, Ervin helped Fork Union to a 19-10 record, beating many of the top ranked prep schools. At Fork Union, Ervin is the Commander of Alpha Company, which is a symbol of his leadership on and off the court.

“Anthony Ervin is a student-athlete that comes from the prestigious Fork Union Military Academy, coached by legendary head coach Fletcher Arritt,” Friday said. “Anthony is a guy who will add many dimensions on and off the court. He is a left-handed shooter with very good range. He has the ability to drive the ball to the bucket and play an intermediate game. We expect Anthony to compete for valuable minutes on the wing from Day 1. What’s even more impressive about Anthony Ervin is that he was able to balance his academics and his athletic pursuits at Fork Union, while adhering to very regimented and disciplined military requirements. He demonstrates great leadership in being a team captain and a company commander.”

Felder starred for four seasons at Lutheran East High School, under the direction of head coach Roger McClinton. Felder, who is a 6-foot-6 wing forward, guided the Falcons to a 23-3 record this past season when they were district and regional champions. Felder averaged 25 ppg and 13 rpg in 2008-09, and led the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s circulation area with 27 ppg and 12 rpg as a junior. He was a two-time Division 4 Player-of-the-Year, as well as a two-time Division 4 First Team honoree.

“We are thrilled that Will Felder and his family have chosen to become a part of the Red Flash men’s basketball family,” Friday said. “Will was a young man that we pursued very heavily in the summer and fall, and we know that he brings a tremendous amount of athleticism and basketball skill to the table. I’m extremely excited knowing that he’ll be a match-up problem for our opponents as he can play the three or the four spot. He has the ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter, and can create his own shot. He has great persistence on both the offensive and defensive glass, which will provide instant help to us in an area where we lacked this past season, evidenced by our finishing last in the NEC in rebounding. Will is a winner in every aspect of the word, and he helped lead his team to the state of Ohio Final Four, and was named co-Player-of-the-Year in Division 4. We look forward to many special nights with Will as he pursues his college diploma, and he helps restore the tradition in Loretto.”

In addition to Ervin and Felder, Johnson and Shannon are members of the incoming freshmen class for Friday’s 2009-10 team. It is the largest incoming class of SFU men’s basketball players since 2006-07.

“I’d like to make a point that recruiting at the college level is one of the most important things that we do, and it is impossible to do so singularly,” Friday said. “I get the privilege of announcing this class, but the work that assistant coaches Rob Krimmel, Doug Kraft and Abe Badmus put in this year with this class was tremendous. The back bone of this class was laid by those three valuable members of our coaching staff.”

Johnson is a 6-foot-8 power forward/center, and completed a successful scholastic career at Gettysburg High School, where he played for head coach Jeff Bair. Shannon, a 6-foot-1 combo guard, emerged as a top prospect under head coach Eugene Allen at Atlantic City High School.

All four players are expected to see significant time in 2009-10 with the departure of five Red Flash seniors. Saint Francis has two remaining scholarships available for the 2009-10 season, and the coaching staff is working to secure more commitments for the incoming class.

Ervin, Felder, Johnson and Shannon will be part of a 2009-10 Saint Francis roster that currently includes five seniors, two juniors, one sophomore and five freshmen.

The five seniors will be Kurt Hoffman (Johnstown, Pa. / Johnstown), Mislav Jukic (Zagreb, Croatia / Life Center Academy), Chris McFarland (Montgomery Village, Md. / Riverdale Baptist), Randy Spaid (Portage, Pa. / Portage) and Devin Sweetney (Washington, D.C. / Riverdale Baptist).

The two juniors are Sorena Orandi (Vastra Frolunda, Gothenburg, Sweden / Solebury Prep) and Cedric Latimer (Los Angeles, Calif. / Windward). Latimer did not play this past season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. He played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Santa Clara.

The Red Flash did not have a freshman play during the 2008-09 season, and Aaron DeVane (Upper Marlboro, Md. / Riverdale Baptist) is the only sophomore on the squad. He earned a spot on the squad this season as a walk-on after transferring to Saint Francis from Lycoming College, but sat out the 2008-09 season.

Curtis Keys (Reston, Va. / South Lakes) will also see time as a redshirt freshman in 2009-10 after sitting out this past season. He will join Ervin, Felder, Johnson and Shannon as the five freshmen that comprise the current 2009-10 roster.