Men's hoops class ranked No. 48 nationally

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee men's basketball coach Kermit Davis is of the opinion recruiting classes are best ranked after players have been in the program; however, the veteran coach also can not help getting excited when asked about the recent 2007 signing class.

Davis, evidently, is not the only person excited about the potential of the six recruits he inked during the 2007 signing period.

The 2007 class has earned a Top 50 national ranking from Hoop Scoop Magazine, and it is also the No. 1-rated class in the Sun Belt Conference, according to the publication. The class is tied with South Carolina at No. 48 nationally.

"In this class you have four solid high school players and two junior college players that present specific needs," Davis said. "I have to give a lot of credit to (assistant coaches Al Pinkins, Thomas Johnson, and Artie Pepelea). I thought they did an excellent job in recruiting.

"I think we will find out down the road how good this class is and how hard they have worked, as well as how good of students they have become. I think the strength of your team is returning players, and we have a really good collection of guys returning. I am excited about what we are adding to those returning players with our class this year."

Of the six recruits Middle Tennessee signed during the 2006-07 period, four were high school players and two were junior college signees.

Middle Tennessee signed Antwaun Boyd (6-2, 190, guard, Anderson, Ind.), Keith Dodd (6-9, 205, forward, Cleveland, Tenn.), Broderick Gilchrist (6-0, 175, guard, Memphis, Tenn.), Uriah Hethington (6-9, 215, forward, Okaloosa-Walton Junior College), Dexter Powell (6-5, 200, forward, WabashValley Community College), and Josh Sain (6-5, guard/forward, Jackson, Tenn.).

Additionally, heralded junior college guard Demetrius Green signed with the Blue Raiders in 2006 out of Daytona Beach Community College. The former Lexington Catholic prep standout sat out the 2006-07 season and will become eligible for the 2007-08 campaign. Green did not count in the 2007 signing class rankings.

"We brought seven guys in on official visits and six of them signed so I think it's a good ratio that we targeted certain guys and we feel really good about them," Davis said. "We signed three really versatile guards in Boyd, Gilchrist, and Sain that are all different. They have all come from winning high school programs so I think that gives us a really good blend of guys in the backcourt.

"(Hethington) will give us a presence around the goal, and I think Dexter Powell gives us a really versatile player who can come in and play a lot of different positions. Keith Dodd will redshirt his first year and get a good base in the weight room. I think his future can be very bright a year or two down the road."

The Middle Tennessee men's basketball team will return to campus for the summer session, June 4.