First-year head coach Heath Schroyer signs five on day 1 of national signing day

LAKE CHARLES – McNeese first-year basketball head coach Heath Schroyer signed five players on the first day of national signing day, all four being targets since his first day on the job and all who he expects to make an immediate impact.

Signing on Wednesday were Tykeem Anderson, a 6-3 guard from Trinidad State and a native of Ruston; Roydell Brown, a 6-5 guard/forward from Southwest College and of Harvey; Shamarkus Kennedy, a 6-8 forward from Chipola College and a native of Tuscaloosa; Will Robinson, a 6-5 guard/forward out of Gulf Coast State and native of Baltimore; and Trey Touchet, a 6-2 guard from UTEP and a native of Lafayette.

Schroyer could sign a couple more players over the weekend.

“This is a great day for Cowboy Basketball,” said Schroyer of his signing class. “This first recruiting class will set the tone for the program moving forward. I couldn’t be happier with the level of talent we’ve able to recruit here, but also their character level. All of these kids fit the culture of our program moving forward.”

Kennedy earned First Team All-Panhandle Conference honors after leading his Chipola College team in scoring with a 15.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game average. He ranked 20th in the nation in field goal shooting at 63.1 percent and scored double-digits 22 times with nine games at 20 or more points.

“Shamarkus is an unbelievable rim protector,” Schroyer said of Kennedy. “He ended his JUCO career with several near triple doubles in points, rebounds and blocks. He has played against some of the best JUCO talent in the country. He’s a guy that oozes with potential and as he continues to get stronger, he’s going to be a monster in this league.”

Robinson earned FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 All-State and All-Panhandle Conference honors after averaging 19.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last season at Gulf Coast State. His scoring average ranked him fifth in the FCSAA (Florida College System Activities Association Athletics). He scored double-digits in 27 of 28 games played and had 20 or more points 16 times with a high of 28 in a win over Coastal Alabama-North. He also averaged 20.4 points in conference games.

“Will is a young man that we targeted from the first day I got here,” said Schroyer. “He’s a 6-5, 6-6, big and strong basketball player. He’s a guy that can just score the basketball and do it in a lot of different ways”

Brown was rated at the No. 4 JUCO player in the state of Mississippi by Dirty South JUCO and the No. 82 rated JUCO player in the nation by JUCO Recruiting. He averaged 16.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game at Southwest Mississippi, sinking 53.7 percent of his shots. He also ranked 12th in the nation with 4.1 offensive rebounds per game and 37th in total rebounds per game.

He recorded 15 double-doubles on the season and was named to the NJCAA Region 23 All-Tournament team. A product of Helen Cox High School, Brown signed with Louisiana-Lafayette out of high school and played in 32 games for the Cajuns as a true freshman, making 10 starts in the 2016-17 season.

“Roydell is extremely athletic,” said Schroyer. “He can put the ball on the floor; he can get to the rim; he can get to the free throw line; he can shoot the three. He should also be our best and most versatile defender. I think he can have an unbelievable impact on our program.”

Touchet, a two-time Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year out of St. Thomas More High School, will transfer from UTEP as a graduate transfer. In his three seasons with the Miners, he appeared in 89 games with eight starts. In high school at St. Thomas More, he was a two-time District MVP in addition to his two state player of the year honors. He averaged 18.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game as a senior and leading his team to a 30-6 record and the Class 4A semifinals. He averaged 20.3 points a game as a junior in helping the Cougars to the Class 4A state title.

Said Schroyer of Touchet: “Trey can play both guard positions. I love the fact that he’s been coached at a very high level and has played in big games in a very competitive league. He has a high basketball I.Q. and can really shoot the ball well.”

Anderson earned NJCAA All-Region 9 Second Team honors after averaging 12.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He recorded 10 or more points 22 times last season at Trinidad State in Trinidad, Colorado and scored a high of 21 points twice on the season.

“Ty is a young man I saw at the Region 9 tournament when I was at BYU and just made a note of him,” said Shroyer. “I really liked him. He’s a guy that can play multiple positions. He’s a big, strong guard that can score three ways. He’s coming back home to Louisiana and I think he’ll have a great impact because of his versatility. He fits with what we’re going to do.”