Rice Signing Class Capsules
11/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Egheosa Edomwonyi, 6-7, 225, Power Forward, Princeton, N.J./The Hun School of Princeton
Ranks as the No. 121 power forward in this year's signing class in the latest ESPN College Basketball Prospect list (updated Nov. 11) ... is a Top 15/Top 20 recruit from the talent-rich Garden State ... high school coach is Jonathon Stone ... received offers from Ivy League institutions Harvard and Penn along with others including Cleveland State before choosing Rice ... son of Uwa Edomwonyi and Nosa Edomwonyi ... born Nov. 7, 1990.
Chris Eversley, 6-5, 200, Small Forward, Chicago, Ill./Walter Payton College Prep
The first male student at Walter Payton College Prep in Chicago to sign a national letter-of-intent with a Division I basketball program (school was founded in 2000) ... one of only two players in school history to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds during a career ... averaged 19.2 points and 9.1 rebounds as a senior ... also averaged 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals while shooting 43 percent from the field and 77 percent from the line ... named Second-Team All-City as well as received All-State Special Mention ... member of the 2008 McGovern Classic All-Tournament Team ... scored 39 points (including the game-winning bucket) against Fenger High School in the consolation semifinals of the city playoffs ... prep team was the consolation city runner-up and advanced to the state playoffs ... playing in the Chicago Public League Red-North league, prep team posted a 20-11 record ... Chuck Demas was the team's coach ... as a junior averaged 16.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, .7 blocks and .9 steals ... named to the 2007 Hoops for Healing as well as the 2007 Northside Christmas All-Tournament Teams ... team also advanced to the state playoffs junior season ... in a preseason exposure game scored 62 points prior to his junior season ... prior to signing with Rice, was ranked the No. 55 strong forward in the 2008-09 signing class by ESPN College Basketball ... born Sept. 26, 1991 in Chicago ... son of Nina Leonard and Michael Eversley ... father played basketball at Chicago State (1976-79) and was a member of the Chicago Bulls in 1979 ... mother played collegiately for Long Beach State (1980-84) ... has two older brothers, Michael Eversley, Jr., and Jordan Eversley ... brother Jordan played football at Missouri State.
A.J. Holland, 6-2, 170, Point Guard, Tuscaloosa, Ala./Paul W. Bryant High School
Averaged 12 points and five assists as a senior at Paul W. Bryant High School ... also averaged five rebounds and 2.6 steals for the Stampede ... as prep team's captain led the squad in steals (71) and three-pointers made (41) as well as assists ... named the team's top perimeter player ... during the season had 20 points at halftime of one game against Jackson Olin ... also led the team in three-pointers, assists and steals as a junior ... drained the game-winning free throws after being fouled while driving inside late in a victory over Huntsville's Lee High School during junior year ... received the team's Leadership Award as a junior ... high school coach was Reginald Sanders ... was an honor roll student at Paul W. Bryant ... also involved as a school Ambassador and a member of Key Club ... born June 5, 1991 in Murray, Ky. ... son of James and Rhonda Holland ... has a younger brother, Kevin ... father played collegiately at USC Upstate, later was a member of the Harlem Globetrotters and as a collegiate coach has been on staffs at South Carolina, Georgia, UTEP and Alabama, among others.
Tamir Jackson, 6-2, 180, Shooting Guard, Paterson, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep
Named New Jersey's Player of the Year by NJ.com/Newark Star-Ledger ... averaged 16 points, four rebounds and three steals as a senior ... prep team posted a 25-3 record and was invited to play in the 2009 ESPN/RISE National High School Invitational ... the Gray Bees advanced to the tournament's semifinals before falling to the nation's No. 1 team, Oak Hill Academy ... scored 20 points including eight in the final quarter to keep St. Benedict's in the game ... helped St. Benedict's advance in the tournament by scoring a team-high 14 points in a win over St. Frances of Baltimore in the quarterfinals ... prep coach, Dan Hurley, picked up his 200th victory during the season ... as a junior averaged 14 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3 steals for a St. Benedict's team which posted a 24-1 record and finished the season ranked No. 2 in the nation in several national polls ... during junior season gained national attention when he scored 29 points in an ESPN-televised victory over then, No. 1 Oak Hill ... was named to the all-state team ... an early signee for the Owls who was the No. 28-ranked shooting guard in the 2008-09 signing class according to the ESPN College Basketball Prospect list at the time he inked with Rice ... born Dec. 29, 1990 in Passaic, N.J. ... son of Taihessa Jackson Lee and Sam White ... has three younger siblings, Tamia White, Rayya Lee and Sam White ... cousin Raymond Felton plays for the Charlotte Bobcats.
Arsalan Kazemi, 6-8, 190, Power Forward, Isfahan, Iran/The Patterson School (NC)
Helped lead his Iranian Under-17 national team to the 2007 West Asian championship and was named the tournament MVP ... national team went 5-0 at the tournament ... captain of his national team ... scout.com has him ranked 82nd overall in the 2009 prep signing class ... the ESPN College Basketball Prospect list ranks him the No. 44 power forward ... high school coach is Chris Cheney ... among the schools he considered were Maryland, Seton Hall, Louisville, Syracuse and Oklahoma State ... son of Yousef and Roya Kazemi ... born April 22, 1990.
