Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011
DES MOINES, Iowa-The Drake men's basketball program has received signed letters of intent from three incoming student-athletes for the 2012-13 school year.
Point guard Richard Carter (Detroit, Mich./Cody High School/Cloud County Community College), forward Joey King (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview High School) and guard Micah Mason (Allegheny, Pa./Highlands High School) each returned signed letters of intent to Drake on Wednesday.
"We are extremely excited to announce the signings of Richard Carter, Joey King and Micah Mason to join us here in the fall of 2012," said head coach Mark Phelps. "Each comes to us with demonstrated success and has had the privilege of playing for winning basketball programs. All three young men exemplify the type of student-athletes we want to recruit to Drake University. They excel in the classroom and are young men of integrity, and each has a chance to make an immediate impact on our program."
RICHARD CARTER
6'-0", 175 lbs.; Cloud County Community College (Concordia, Kansas) / Cody H.S. (Detroit, Mich.)
Carter was named Freshman of the Year in the Jayhawk West Conference for 2010-11, averaging 17 points per game at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kan. He also earned first-team all-conference and second-team All-Region VI. An outstanding prep player in Detroit, Mich., Carter was first-team All-Metro and honorable mention Class A all-state at Detroit's Cody High School, where he averaged 19.3 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game.
Phelps on Carter: "Richard Carter is an extremely quick point guard, but he's also a scoring point guard. He can shoot the three and he can get in the paint and find teammates. Richard is the prototypical point guard; a guy you want to run your basketball team and involve his teammates, but he can also score. He is very quick on the defensive end, and is someone I think can be an immediate-impact guy on both ends of the court."
JOEY KING
6'-9", 220 lbs.; Eastview H.S. (Apple Valley, Minn.)
King averaged 17.6 points per game as a junior last year in leading his Eastview High team a 22-5 record and a South Suburban Conference title. He scored in double figures in 24 of 27 games last year, including a season-best 36 points against Eagan. King has competed for the Minnesota Southside AAU team.
Phelps on King: "Joey King is an extremely versatile forward. He can play close to the rim with a good post-up game. He's a guy who can also knock down the three, and is an excellent passer. At 6-foot-9 I think he's going to be a young man who is extremely versatile, and will be a matchup problem at the offensive end. Joey has an excellent motor and plays with a consistently high energy level."
MICAH MASON
6'-2", 170 lbs.; Highlands H.S. (Allegheny, Pa.)
Mason averaged 33.3 points, 8.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game at Highlands High, and shot 47% from three-point range. He earned a spot on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's "Fab Five" Boys Basketball team and was area player of the year by the Valley News Dispatch. Mason scored 64 points in a game last season, the second-highest single-game total by a player in a WPIAL history.
Phelps on Mason: "Micah has the ability to play both guard positions and he's a terrific scorer. He's the ultimate gym-rat. He is the hardest and most consistent worker I have had the opportunity to recruit. Micah will be a guy our fans will really enjoy because of his ability to put the basketball in the hoop. He is a terrific shooter, but he can also be very effective distributing the basketball."
The Bulldogs face Upper Iowa in their regular season opener Saturday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Knapp Center, followed by a Tuesday, Nov. 15 game at 8:05 p.m. vs. Iowa State. For tickets please call (515) 271-DOGS or purchase online at www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com.
