June 5, 2009

The Mississippi Valley State Department of Athletics announces that it has signed eight student-athletes for the 2009-2010 season of Delta Devils' men's basketball.

"This is where the revitalization and rebuild of our program begins," said MVSU head coach Sean Woods. "We worked hard during the recruiting period and the players we signed should become important pieces of the program when they join us in the fall."

Entering his second year as head coach, Woods - along with his staff - will be hoping that the eight signees will make immediate and intense impacts on the team. Along with the signees and an experienced group of returning players, Mississippi Valley State is in the midst of not only retooling, but restoring the pride and legacy known as Delta Devil basketball.

Below are the initial signees for the class of 2009-10:

- Jason Sabb - a 6-foot-3 guard from Angelina Junior College in Lufkin, Texas. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native was a core member of the Angelina team that went 18-13 this past season. Sabb, an all-district selection, averaged 11.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 steals in 2008-09. In his final outing, he finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in the Region XIV conference tournament.

- Darian Donald - a 6-foot-5 forward from East Mississippi Community College. He averaged 12.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game. He assisted the EMCC Lions to a 17-11 record, a second-place finish in the North Division and a semifinal appearance in the MACJC State Tournament. He shot 32 percent from three-point range while having four double-doubles and 15 blocks on the season. Donald posted single-game highs of 23 points at Northwest Mississippi (8-10 FGs & 5-7 treys) and 11 rebounds at East Central (along with 19 points). He also had 22 points on 6-of-8 field goals (3-4 treys) and 7-of-9 free throws at Coahoma. He played in the MACJC All-Star game as a sophomore. The Columbus, Mississippi native played his high school ball at Caledonia High School where he tallied 16.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals as a senior and 16.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists as a junior.

- Chris Hamblin - a 6-foot-6 forward was a stable in the middle for Western Nebraska Junior College. The St. Paul, Minnesota native averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting an outstanding 59 percent from the field. When attending Eagan High School in Minnesota, he averaged 12 points and 11 rebounds a contest.

- Mark Holmes - a 6-foor-6 combo forward from Guerin College Prep School in Illinois. The River Grove, Illinois was an exceptional performer both on and off the court. Off the court, he was a multiple-time honor roll student. On the court, he averaged 18 points and eight rebounds an outing. He was named all-conference and the team's most valuable player. He led the team in scoring 17 times and in rebounding ten times during his senior season.

- Ricky Lamb - a 6-foot-6 combo player from Raines High School in Florida. The Jacksonville, Florida native was ranked in the top 50 in the state and was an all-city and all-conference selection. He averaged 20 points and eight rebounds as a senior while also being a standout performer in track and field.

- Michael Mayo - a-6-foot-3 guard from Cochise College in Douglas, Arizona. The Los Angeles native averaged 17.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game - off the bench. He connected on 134 three-pointers last season while being named second-team all-region and second-team all-conference. Mayo led the team in free-throw shooting connecting on 88 percent of his attempts. In high school, he averaged 19 points, five rebounds and three assists his senior season. He assisted his team in winning the city championship both his freshman and senior seasons while being named all-conference twice (second team as a junior and first team as a senior).

- D'Angelo Jackson - a 6-foot-1 point guard from Arkansas-Fort Smith Community College. He played sparingly averaging 5.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. As a senior at Pius XI High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he averaged 18.1 points, 3.3 assists and 2.4 steals per game while being named second-team all-state and first-team all-area as a senior. As a junior, he led the Popes to their first WIAA Division 1 state tournament while averaging 13.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

- Jason Holmes - a 6-foot-9 post player from Conchise College. The Chicago, Illinois native was productive both on and off the court. He was named academic most valuable player this past season while averaging 8.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game. He led the team shooting 54 percent from the field. He was a teammate of fellow signee Michael Mayo.

The Delta Devils will look to improve on last season's quarterfinal exit from the 2009 SWAC Basketball Tournament.