Men's Basketball signs Texas trio to National Letters of Intent

May 23, 2002

Long Island has signed Rod Smith, Brandon Thomas and Dontay Jackson to National Letters of Intent as part of the initial recruiting for first-year head coach Jim Ferry that will be eligible next season.

Smith (Houston, TX), the only junior college transfer of the group, arrives by way of McLennan Community College in Waco. An athletic and versatile player, the 6'4" Smith possesses the ability to see time as point guard, shooting guard and small forward. As a sophomore last season, he averaged 9.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists in helping McLennan to a 19-12 mark.

Thomas (San Antonio, TX), a 6'6" swing player, attended Converse Judson High School and was selected first team all-state a season ago. A strong athlete who can score from anywhere on the floor, Thomas averaged 20.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and shot 63 percent from the field as a senior. He led Judson to the best back-to-back seasons (61-11) in school history, including a 29-7 mark in 2001-02.

Jackson (Houston, TX) brings his solid all-around game from Eisenhower High School. A 6'6" inside presence, he averaged 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in helping his squad go 26-9 and reach the Region III quarterfinals last season. A defensive stopper, he also averaged 3.0 blocks (first in the Houston area), 2.0 steals and took 2.6 charges per contest.

The trio joins Morgan Williams (Plano, TX), a point guard from Plano East High School who signed in the early period. A solid playmaker, Williams produced 14.7 points and 5.2 assists per game as a senior.

"We feel we have brought in four versatile basketball players who can help strengthen some of our weak areas from last year," Ferry said. "This class possesses outstanding size, skill and athleticism, and each of them is capable of playing several different positions."

Ferry is the 12th head coach in the program's history. At Adelphi in Garden City, NY the last three seasons, he went 82-11, led the team to consecutive NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearances and earned three straight Metropolitan Coach-of-the-Year honors.