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Issued: July 27, 2007
2007-08 MEN'S BASKETBALL RECRUITS ANNOUNCED
EAU CLAIRE - Head men's basketball coach Terry Gibbons has announced the names of five high school student-athletes and a junior college transfer who will continue their academic and athletic careers at UW-Eau Claire. 2007-08 Blugold Recruits
Amadou Fofana - C, 6-7, 250, Fr., Appleton, WI/West
Amadou Fofana, a center from Appleton West High School, will attend UW-Eau Claire and play basketball next fall, Blugold head coach Terry Gibbons has announced.
The 6-7, 250-pound Fofana played for head coach Shane Knudsen and was a three-time letterwinner and two-year starter for the Terrors. As a senior Fofana earned first team All-Fox Valley Association honors averaging 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. A team co-captain, Fofana led the conference in defensive rebounds and made 62% of his field goals. Fofana earned honorable mention All-Conference honors as a junior.
"The thing I like about Amadou is that he was selected first team All-Conference in one of the toughest leagues in the state," said Gibbons. "Amadou is the type of student-athlete we want in our program. A true post player with great hands that can operate in and around the basket."
Fofana was also a two-year letterwinner and starter for the Terror's football team where he earned second team All-Conference honors at tight end as a junior and senior.
Outside of basketball Fofana was a peer helper for his high school and a member of the school orchestra.
Fofana is the son of Ebrima and LuAnn Fofana.
Rashan Goodwin - G/F, 6-2, 185, Jr.,
Minneapolis, MN/Holy Angels/Lake Region State, ND
Rashan Goodwin, a guard from the Academy of Holy Angels High School and transfer from Lake Region State College of North Dakota, will attend UW-Eau Claire and play basketball next fall, Blugold head coach Terry Gibbons has announced.
At Lake Region State, a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I program located in Devils Lake, North Dakota, Goodwin started 25 of 33 games shooting 55.4% from the field and 40.0% from the three-point line. Goodwin was a team captain and earned the team's Best Defensive Player Award. Goodwin was part of a Royals team that went 24-9 and defeated eighth-ranked North Dakota School of Science of Wahpeton to win the Region 13 championship. Wahpeton finished the season at 30-2 suffering both of its losses to the hands of Lake Region State.
The 6-2, 185-pound Goodwin played for head coach Jessie Foley and was a three-time letterwinner and two-year starter for the Stars. Goodwin was a two-time honorable mention All-Missota Conference honoree and was selected to compete in the Inner City Classic Basketball Game.
"Rashan brings a defensive presence to our team," said Gibbons. "Rashan played in a high-quality Division I junior college program that won a lot of games in his two seasons at Lake Region State. Bottom line-Rashan is a winner!"
Outside of basketball Goodwin was a two-year starter for the football team in addition to being a member of the school choir and diversity team at Holy Angels.
Goodwin is the son of Geri Goodwin.
Michael Mudgett - F, 6-5, 215, Fr., Gilman, WI
Michael Mudgett, a forward from Gilman High School, will attend UW-Eau Claire and play basketball next fall, Blugold head coach Terry Gibbons has announced.
The 6-5, 215-pound Mudgett played for head coach Robin Rosemeyer and one-year starter for the Pirates after transferring from Lake Holcombe at the end of his junior season. Mudgett was ranked among the top 50 seniors in Wisconsin at the beginning of the 2006-07 season by the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook. In his first season at Gilman, who advanced to the WIAA Division 4 State Semifinal losing to eventual champion Randolph in overtime, Mudgett averaged 8.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game and was named to the special mention All-Northwest Team. For his career Mudgett scored 962 points, collected 711 rebounds and blocked 221 shots. Mudgett played for the Division North All-Stars at the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Star Game where he led the North squad with 18 points and six rebounds.
"Michael is a lunch-pail type of player that brings an excellent work ethic to the game and to our program," said Gibbons. "Michael gave up a lot of himself by transferring to play with a great Gilman team. The transfer paid off because Gilman won the tough Cloverbelt Conference and helped the Pirates advance to their first-ever state tournament. He is a strong, athletic player that will also excel at Eau Claire."
Outside of athletics Mudgett is a member of the National Honor Society, band, pep band and Who's Who Among High School Students for the 2006-07 year.
Mudgett is the son of Randy and Sandi Mudgett.
Garrett Ottney - F, 6-5, 190, Fr., Glenwood City, WI
Garrett Ottney, a forward from Glenwood City High School, will attend UW-Eau Claire and play basketball next fall, Blugold head coach Terry Gibbons has announced.
The 6-5, 190-pound Ottney played for head coaches Fred Booth and Chase Rasmussen and was a two-year starter for the Hilltoppers. As a senior Ottney averaged 12.9 points per game earning second team All-Dunn-St. Croix Conference honors. As a junior Ottney averaged 9.6 points per game receiving first team All-Conference and special mention All-Area honors as the Hilltoppers advanced to the WIAA Division 3 state semifinals. Ottney was ranked among the top 70 seniors in Wisconsin by the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook and was named as an alternate for the Division 3 North All-Star team at the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Star Games held on June 23 at the UW-Field House.
"Garrett comes from a great family," said Gibbons. "He is an excellent all-around athlete that will excel when he gets to Eau Claire."
Ottney was also a four-time letterwinner and two-year starter in football and a three-time letterwinner in track and field. Ottney earned honorable mention All-Conference honors in football and was a member of state-qualifying 4 x 200-meter relay team in 2005 and 4 x 400-meter relay team in 2006.
Outside of athletics Ottney is a member of the school honor roll, band, choir and letterman's club.
Ottney is the son of Phil and Karen Ottney and has two older brothers attend and compete at UW-Eau Claire; Matt for football and Dan in basketball.
Augie Saiz - G/F, 6-5, 185, Fr., Baraboo, WI/Wisconsin Dells
Augie Saiz, a guard/forward from Division 2 State Tournament Semifinalist Wisconsin Dells High School, will attend UW-Eau Claire and play basketball next fall, Blugold head coach Terry Gibbons has announced.
The 6-5, 185-pound Saiz played for head coach Brad Rohling and was a two-year starter for the Chiefs. Saiz was the Chiefs' captain and team Most Valuable Player his senior year where he led the South Central Conference in scoring averaging 15.4 points per game and a team-best 5.2 rebounds per game. A first team All-Conference selection, Saiz also earned second team All-Area and honorable mention All-State honors his senior season. As a junior Saiz earned second team All-Conference and honorable mention All-Area accolades. Saiz played for the Division 2 North All-Stars at the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Star Game where he was second in scoring for the winning North team with 18 points.
"Augie comes from a winning program," said Gibbons. "We have been following Augie's progress over the past year with his run to the state tournament. With his athletic ability, Augie has a chance to make an immediate impact in our program. Augie turned down several Division II opportunities to play for our program."
A two-sport athlete, Saiz was a three-time letterwinner in track and field where he competed in the high jump, triple jump and the 4 x 400-meter relay.
Outside of athletics Saiz was his class valedictorian graduating from high school with a 4.00 grade-point average. Saiz earned WBCA Academic All-State honors and was the South Central Conference Scholar-Athlete Award winner. Saiz was involved in the National Honor Society, Key Club where he served one year as vice president, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) serving one year as vice president and served as class treasurer and secretary.
Saiz is the son of Augie and Pam Saiz.
Ryan Shea - G, 6-3, 180, Fr., Duluth, MN/East
Ryan Shea, a guard from Duluth East High School, will attend UW-Eau Claire and play basketball next fall, Blugold head coach Terry Gibbons has announced.
The 6-3, 180-pound Shea played for head coach Charles Tola and was a three-time letterwinner and two-year starter for the Greyhounds. Shea was a team captain and voted Most Valuable Player his senior year as he averaged 20.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. In one game this season Shea made a school record seven three-point field goals. Shea earned first team All-Area, honorable mention All-State honors and was selected to compete in the Minnesota State All-Star Game. Shea was also a member of the Greyhounds' 2005 Division 3A state runner-up team. Over his three seasons of varsity basketball Shea improved his scoring average from 2.8 points as at sophomore to 10.9 points as a junior to 20.8 points per game as a senior.
"Ryan is a great fit for our program," said Gibbons. "He turned down several Division II offers to come play at Eau Claire. Ryan is very athletic with excellent scoring abilities. He also excels on the defensive side of the ball as he always guards the toughest player on the other team."
Shea is the son of Mike Shea and Sandra Shea.
- KM -
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