AU Basketball Welcomes Eight Newcomers
April 17, 2003

It would be no surprise if Ashland University head basketball coach Roger Lyons has a severe case of writer’s cramp.

Lyons has been filling out plenty of forms and letters of intent. The AU program has received commitments from eight student-athletes who will attend the university beginning next fall and play basketball.

Ashland University is an NCAA Division II institution that competes in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Last season, the Eagles were 16-11. AU has won 15 or more games for six consecutive seasons.

Biographical information can be found below on all of the new Eagles.

Justin Brown (Columbus, OH/West Liberty State) – A newcomer with great experience, that’s what the Eagles are getting in the 6-7, 220-pound Brown. Originally from Columbus, OH, and Bishop Ready High School, Brown played a key role for the West Liberty State Hilltoppers in 2002-2003.

As a freshman with WL, Brown was second in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in rebounding, pulling down 8.7 rpg. He averaged 6.9 ppg., shot .593 percent (73-123) from the floor and led the team in blocks (38). Brown played in 27 games, starting 24 times.

“He has a year of college basketball experience under his belt,” pointed out Lyons. “He understands what the college game is all about. He’s a tough-minded kid.”

Lyons says that Brown will play power forward.

Greg Emmons (Ashland, OH) – Emmons’ father, Randy, was a teammate of Lyons at Ashland. Over the years, Lyons has watched the 6-7, 225-pound Emmons develop into a tremendous all-around player. Now he’ll get the chance to coach him.

“It’s great to be able to recruit a player from Ashland High School,” said Lyons. “He played for Chris Stokes, one of our former assistants that I have a tremendous amount of respect for. Plus, there’s the fact that Randy and I played together.

“He can really shoot the ball from the perimeter at 6-7,” continued Lyons. “He works very hard.”

Emmons is projected to play power forward, a spot that in recent years has been manned by players like Nate Vaughn, Justin Larrick and Pat Rush.

“He’ll have to learn to play in our system,” Lyons said. “The four spot is tough in our system. The great thing is he’s right here where we can work with him.”

Emmons is the 2002-03 Ashland Times-Gazette player of the year. He was a first team all-conference pick and a first team District 6 all-star. He was third team All-Northwest Ohio while averaging 17.0 ppg., and 6.9 rpg. As a junior, he averaged 15.1 ppg., and 8.8 rpg. Emmons played in this year’s Mansfield News-Journal all-star game. He led AHS to the Ohio Heartland Conference championship and the regional final.

Matt Engler (Port Clinton, OH) – A 6-8, 210-pound center-power forward, Engler’s potential has Lyons and his staff excited. It’s easy to see why. Engler averaged 11.4 ppg., and 5.2 rpg., this year for 19-4 Port Clinton. He was second team all-conference and all-district and honorable mention All-Northwest Ohio.

“He has good range on his jumper and he has excellent post moves,” said Port Clinton head coach Greg Hedden. “To improve and be successful he’ll have to get stronger. Physically he has unlimited potential. He’s 6-8 with a large frame and he can blossom into a great player. He was just such a fluid player for us.”

“He’s thin, but he’s 6-8,” said Lyons. “He runs well. We think he can develop into a good, solid player.”

Alex Jones (Englewood, OH/Northmont) – Jones is a 5-11, 175-pound point guard who will be asked to direct the AU offense at a high rate of speed. As a senior, Jones averaged 20.1 ppg., dished out 121 assists and had 78 steals. He shot 49 percent from the floor and 44 percent from three-point range. Jones was good on 72 percent of his tries at the free throw line for 16-5 Northmont, which was ranked as high as ninth in the state this season.

The guard was first team All-Greater Miami Valley Conference – a 14-team league in the Dayton, OH area. Jones was first team all-conference as a junior and senior and first team All-District 9 the last two years. He was the Dayton Daily News Division I player of the year this season.

Northmont head coach Jim Brown, a longtime friend of Lyons and a former assistant coach at Wright State, believes the Eagles are getting a complete player in Jones.

“I think the only reason Alex wasn’t recruited by more programs was his size,” said Brown. “If he was 6-1 or 6-2 he’d be playing mid-major basketball. I’m not sure he’s not good enough to play at that level right now. He’s the most focused basketball player I’ve coached at the high school level. His focus is on getting better with his basketball skills and strength.”

Jones played shooting guard as a sophomore and was a point guard as a junior and senior. That’s where the Eagles project him helping them.

“He reminds me of a young Antoine Campbell,” said Lyons, speaking of the former guard who’s AU’s career assists leader (697). “He brings speed to our team. He’s extremely fast and we want him to be a distributor of the ball.”

Jones is also a fantastic student, carrying a 3.2 GPA.

Vahn Knight (Cleveland, OH/Benedictine) – Knight committed to the Eagles last fall. He is a 6-2, 175-pound point guard.

“He comes from a good high school program and that means a lot to us,” said Lyons.

“He’s one of the most improved players I’ve ever coached in my career,” said Benedictine head coach Bob Patton. “He’s just started to fill out and he’s grown about two inches in the last year. I think he’ll be a great addition for the Ashland program. We run the same system Roger runs and I think he’ll be a great fit. I’m happy for his family and I’m happy for him.”

Ryan Lee (Elida, OH) - A 6-5, 175-pound guard, Lee figures to be fit into the Eagles’ plans as a swingman. A two-time first team all-conference pick and a two-time first team All-District 8 selection, Lee averaged 16.0 ppg., 6.7 apg., and 7.2 rpg., as a senior. He shot 45 percent from three-point range. Lee was also a second team All-Northwest Ohio selection and earned honorable mention Division II all-state laurels.

Lee led Elida to a 17-7 record as a senior.

“Ryan is a flexible type of player,” said Elida head coach Chris Adams. “He’s a two guard, or in a given situation, he can play point guard. He’s a very good ball handler for a guy who’s 6-5. In my coaching career, he’s one of the premier passers I’ve had. He’s a rangy type of player. He can put the ball on the floor in attacking the basket. When he rebounds the ball, he doesn’t have to outlet it. He can dribble it. That’s hard to defend.”

“The biggest thing with Ryan, we’re excited about his upside,” added Lyons. “His best basketball is in front of him. He’s long, 6-5, and he could play a three spot for us. He’s an outstanding perimeter shooter. I think he’ll get stronger and learn the up-tempo game.”

Lee carries a 3.48 GPA. He plans to major in business.

Greg Mayes (Austintown, OH/Austintown Fitch) – Lyons has yearned for several years now to have the Eagles get bigger inside. The 6-7, 220-pound Mayes will help in that regard.

Mayes was a first team all-conference choice as a junior and senior. He was first team All-Northeast Ohio as a senior and the player of the year in Northeast Ohio. Mayes was a first team All-Ohio selection. He holds Fitch records for rebounds in a game (29) and rebounds in a career (727). He scored 911 points for Fitch, fifth on the school’s all-time list.

“I can’t say enough about him as a student, athlete and as a person,” remarked Fitch head coach Gary Conroy. “He’ll do anything and everything. If he’s challenged he’ll play harder. He never missed anything.

“He blocked a lot of shots for us,” continued Conroy. “Opposing coaches always wanted a technical foul because he’d slam it against the board. His timing is tremendous as is his quickness off his feet.”

“We had to get great size,” explained Lyons. “Greg is 6-7 and can run the floor and we haven’t had that for awhile. He was at the top of the recruiting list all year long.”

Right now, Mayes may be best known for his rebounding, but Lyons believes he can also be a scoring threat in the paint.

“He’s quick,” noted the AU head coach. “Once he develops his game, he’ll be able to go by people inside.”

Chris Newell (Oak Park Forest, IL) – The AU coaching staff believes Newell can be a factor as a shooting guard. The 6-2, 180-pound guard is well-schooled in fundamental basketball – his mother is a highly successful girls prep coach in the Chicago area who won 30 games this past season.

“You know he comes from a real solid basketball background,” emphasized Lyons. “We’ve been impressed with his defensive footwork and he’s an outstanding three-point shooter. We consider him a sleeper in this recruiting class.”