Men's basketball recruits signees

BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK

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Posted: 4/17/08

The Georgia men's basketball team's days of short benches and exhausted players may at last be coming to an end, as the Bulldogs finalized their 2008 recruiting class on Wednesday.

Head coach Dennis Felton was expected to add a couple of Atlanta-area signees to go along with three other prospects who signed during the early signing period in the winter.

Suwanee guard Ebuka Anyaorah committed to the Bulldogs earlier this week and Atlanta forward Travis Leslie gave the Bulldogs his word three weeks ago. Both were expected to sign national letters of intent Wednesday to join the team in the fall.

Anyaorah averaged 26.3 points and 8.3 rebounds at North Gwinnett High School this year.

He originally committed to Colorado, but later decided to keep his options open and finally settled on the Bulldogs.

Leslie, meanwhile, averaged 21.1 points and 8.8 rebounds for Columbia High School this season. He will be reunited at Georgia with former Columbia teammate Jeremy Price.

Wednesday's signees will be joined in Athens next year by Norcross forward Howard Thompkins, Kennesaw point guard Dustin Ware and Serbian forward Drazen Zlovaric.

- Lawrence Conneff

Former Bulldog to transfer schools

Former Bulldog basketball big man Rashaad Singleton will finish out his college career at Florida Southern College, a Division II school.

Since he is transferring to a Division II institution as opposed Division I, Singleton will be eligible to play at the start of this season. He would have to sit out a year if he stayed at the Division I level.

"I couldn't sit out a year. It is too painful," Singleton said. "The fans here at Georgia are great. I guess it is what I am accustomed to, but when it comes down to it, it's about being on the floor and just playing."

The 7-foot-1 Singleton played 2.5 seasons for Georgia before leaving the team mid-season to explore transfer options. Before he left the team, he appeared in 10 games and averaged 2.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.

Singleton, who's scholarship with Georgia expires at the end of this semester, still is taking classes on campus. He announced his decision to play for the Moccasins outside one of his classes in the Student Learning Center on Wednesday afternoon.

It's hard to question Singleton's love for Georgia, as he sports school apparel.

"One thing I want to make clear is that my experience at Georgia has been great throughout this whole process. The fans and the students have been very supportive," Singleton said. "I am going to miss the school. I love the school. I will always be a Bulldog."

Throughout the semester, Singleton has kept his body in shape. He has spent his mornings running and the afternoons lifting weights at the Ramsey Center.

Singleton said he has aspirations to play professional basketball after he graduates next year from Florida Southern with a major in speech communications. He expects to be a starter for Florida Southern and receive more minutes than he did playing for the red and black.

Florida Southern is located in Lakeland, which is a four hour drive from Singleton's hometown of Campbellton, Fla.

"The coaches and I developed a really good relationship since I asked for my release from the team," Singleton said.

Florida Southern assistant coach Tae Norwood, one of the coaches Singleton has developed a relationship with, said Singleton will see plenty of playing time.

"I think he is going to have a tremendous advantage because he is not going to see anyone that is his size. We are excited about having him here," Norwood said. "We are going to look to bound the ball to him."

Singleton will be joining a team that finished 24-9 and won the State Conference regular and postseason titles before falling in the quarterfinals of the national tournament. The Moccasins have many returning players. Norwood said he expects Singleton to be an excellent addition for a team loaded with "great shooters."

"Our goals are to win a national championship, and I think with Rashaad coming, he gives us a chance to win that. Our goal is to flat out win it all," Norwood said. "He is the missing piece that can bring the puzzle together."

"I wanted to go to Division I, but I love this game too much to sit out a year," said Singleton. "I have been sitting out since January, and it has been painful knowing watching the games on TV, just knowing that I could be involved."

- Sam Steinberg