Bearcats Add Seven Players for 2016-17 Men's Basketball Season

May 11, 2016

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University men's basketball Head Coach Kip Ioane has announced the 2016-17 recruiting class for the Bearcats. The class includes one transfer and six freshmen. Three of the freshmen are from California, with one each from Oregon, Virginia and Colorado.

The group of new players includes three forwards, two wings, a combo guard and a point guard.

"I'm excited about the combination of impact and depth this group of guys gives us on the court," Ioane said. "And I'm very pleased with the work Coach Jonathan Willis and Coach Kevin MacRae put into identifying another group of players that fits our philosophy of competitors on and off the floor."

With both a varsity and a junior varsity program at Willamette, the new Bearcats will be eligible to compete for time on either team.

Here is the Willamette recruiting class for the 2016-17 season:

Trey Miller Hollis "Trey" Miller (So., 6'7", F, Woodinville, WA/Inglemoor HS) is transferring from North Dakota State University of NCAA Division I. Miller previously played basketball at Inglemoor High School in the State of Washington.

Miller saw limited playing time at NDSU in 2015-16 following a redshirt season in 2014-15. He played in three games for the Bison.

Prior to attending NDSU, Miller was a three-year starter at Inglemoor High School. As a senior, he averaged 19.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He was named First Team All-KingCo 4A as a senior and was Second Team All-KingCo 4A as a junior.

Coach Ioane on Trey:

"Obviously from the fact he is a Division I scholarship talent on the floor, it's easy to say 'Trey can flat out play.' However, the most impressive part of recruiting him was how detailed he was in finding out everything about Willamette and Bearcat Hoop besides basketball. This is a guy who truly believes in our men, family, legacy foundation."

Justin Lucio (Fr., 6'6", F, Ventura, CA/Ventura HS) competed at Ventura High School. He saw action in 20 games as a senior. He was a center at Ventura, but will likely play forward for the Bearcats.

In addition, Lucio was named the Ventura Unified School District Male Student of the Year and received a California Scholarship Federation Award. He was member of the National Honor Society and was an AP Scholar.

Coach Ioane on Justin:

"We are very excited to work with Justin's potential on the court. He's very long, and with the work we expect he will put in, he has the chance to really develop here, both on and off the court."

Chris McCullough (Fr., 5'10", G, Fort Belvoir, VA/Fork Union Military Academy) will arrive at Willamette as a combo guard. He has the skills to help the Bearcats at the point guard and the shooting guard positions. He is the brother of current Willamette basketball guard Brendon McCullough, who will be a junior in 2016-17.

Coach Ioane on Chris:

"Obviously, with older brother Brendon being our starting point guard, we had a unique 'in' with Chris. However, we stressed to him that we anted him to be Chris here at WU, not just B's little brother. I know he has the ability to do that and that he is excited to make a name for himself."

Brendan Peterson (Fr., 6'2", W, Napa, CA/Napa HS) averaged 16.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 seals and 2.0 assists per game as a senior in high school. He shot 35% from behind the 3-point line.

He was strong in pressure situations and was named First Team All-MEL after ranking second in the league in scoring. He was and All-Tournament selection at the Napa Wine Valley Tournament and the Woodland Buck Bailey Tournament. At Willamette, he will likely play wing for the Bearcats.

Coach Ioane on Brendan:

"Brendan's versatility and willingness to morph his role to whatever his team needs to win really grabbed our attendance in the recruiting process. He's an All-League guy who can play three spots for us if needed."

Joshua Stubbs (Fr., 6'1", W, Eugene, OR/Churchill HS) earned Second Team All-Midwestern League honors as a high school player. He helped Churchill High School earn a 21-7 overall record, including 12-0 in the Midwestern League for a first place finish.

Churchill reached the quarterfinals of the 2016 OSAA Class 5A State Tournament. The Lancers took sixth place after falling to Mountain View in overtime in the consolation final.

Coach Ioane on Joshua:

"Josh was a Second Team All-Conference performer ... and what really impressed us was his willingness to guard the ball. He has that stopper mindset that we are excited to add to our group."

Keondre Weindand Keondre Weinand (Fr., 6'5", F, Denver, CO/Thornton HS) joins the Bearcat after playing high school basketball in Colorado. He averaged 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for Thornton High School this past season. He also earned 2.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per contest.

Coach Ioane on Keondre:

"Dre has been asked to play so many different positions throughout high school, and has always shown the ability to adapt to what the team needs. We are very excited to get him dialed in on a development plan here at a spot and see him success in that role."

Reuben Williams (Fr., 5'10", PG, Long Beach, CA/Long Beach Poly HS) played on a strong team at Long Beach Poly High School. The Jackrabbits advanced all the way to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State D2 Final before losing to Serra High School. Long Beach Poly earned a 25-11 overall record and went 10-2 in the Moore League for a first place tie.

Coach Ioane on Reuben:

"Reuben was captain of a Long Beach Poly team that made a great run through the CIF playoffs. An injury kept him from playing a chunk of games, but we are thrilled that he will be back at full strength this fall."