The University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's basketball team has solidified its back court with the signing of two American guards out of the California junior college circuit. Head coach Dave Adams recently introduced Daryl Cooper and Alex Fletcher as the newest Horns for this coming season.
The additions of Fletcher and Cooper continues the Horns overhaul this off-season, where the squad has added seven players, all with ties to winning programs. Earlier this off-season Adams secured four players from the national silver medalists Lethbridge College Kodiaks, as well as Tyson McIntyre from the Alberta 4A champion Raymond Comets.
Basketball Operations Manager Brad Karren was the first to identify Cooper and Fletcher during the California JUCO Final Four and did the majority of the leg work leading up to their visits.
"Brad did a great job identifying Daryl and Alex as two guys that would fit in to what we are trying to build here," says Adams. "We were able to work both of them out and really liked what we saw."
Cooper, a 6'1" point guard, spent the last two seasons at City College of San Francisco, where the team finished the season with a 32-1 record and won the California JUCO Championship. Cooper averaged just over 7 points per game and accumulated an impressive 2.95 to 1 assist to turnover ratio.
"Daryl is a pass first, score second point guard with incredible basketball IQ, work ethic, skill and leadership qualities," says Adams. "He will immediately address our deficiencies at the point guard position."
A 6'2" shooting guard, Fletcher is no stranger to his fellow California recruit, as Fresno City College was the lone team to beat Cooper's team last season. In both seasons in Fresno, Fletcher was a member of the Central Valley Conference champions and had trips to the California JuCo Final Four, where Fresno lost in the semifinals.
As a sophomore starter, Fletcher was a Central Valley first team all-star, averaging 11.06 points per game while hitting a remarkable 47.5 per cent of his shots from behind the arc. He also set a school record last season, hitting 12 three-pointers in a single game. An exceptional student, Fletcher had a 3.68 GPA in his two years at Fresno City College.
"Alex is an unselfish hard working blue collar basketball player," says Adams. "He shot a high percentage from three-point land and will immediately address our weakness there from last season. He will also immediately infuse an uncompromising work ethic into our locker room."
The Horns open training camp Aug. 29 and will kick off the 2011-12 Canada West Schedule Nov. 4-5, traveling to Winnipeg to face the Wesmen. The Horns home opener is Nov. 11 versus UBC – Okanagan Heat.
