MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama men’s basketball coach Ronnie Arrow announced Wednesday that two late transfers, guard Jeremy Jones and forward Dionte Ferguson, have enrolled at the university and joined the program.
Because both players are transferring from Division I schools, NCAA transfer rules require them to sit out the 2012-13 season. Both will be eligible beginning in 2013-14.
Jeremy Jones
Jones, a 6-foot-2 guard from Chicago, played one season at Kansas State, where he averaged 3.1 points in 20 games last season. He will have one season of eligibility remaining.
Before Kansas State, Jones played at Seward County Community College in 2010-11. He led that team in scoring at 18.6 points per game and added 4.5 assists in 34 games as Seward County went 27-7 and finished as runner-up in the Region VI tournament. He earned third-team NJCAA All-America honors and first-team All-Region VI recognition.
Arrow said South Alabama recruited Jones heavily while he was at Seward County before he chose Kansas State. “Jeremy was a very good player at Seward and we recruited him pretty hard,” Arrow said.
Arrow said the sit-out year will allow Jones to practice with the team every day and learn the system. He noted that South Alabama graduates three players after this season, creating an opportunity for a guard of Jones’ size.
Dionte Ferguson
Ferguson, a 6-foot-7 forward from Prattville, Ala., transfers from Morehead State after two seasons and will have two seasons of eligibility left. He appeared in 37 games over two seasons at Morehead State and averaged 1.2 points per game.
Arrow said Morehead State’s coaching staff would have liked to keep Ferguson, but that he wanted to be closer to home. Arrow described him as a strong, physical player who primarily plays the power forward position but can also step outside.
“We feel like, after spending a year getting to know our system, he has a really good chance of coming in and playing a lot the next two years,” Arrow said.
Program Notes
South Alabama competes in the Sun Belt Conference and plays its home games at the Mitchell Center.
