Tribune-Herald
Tribune-Herald
New University of Hawaii at Hilo men’s basketball coach GE Coleman has signed his first two recruits, a pair of 6-foot-6 athletes that he believes can play every position on the court.
The players are:
• Jeff Perkins, a junior from Seattle. He transfers from Utah State University-Eastern where he averaged 10.2 points per games on a 14-17 squad.
• Dom Campbell, a junior from Apple Valley, Calif. He played last year at Tacoma Community College under coach Carl Howell. Due to a foot injury, Campbell played only 12 games and averaged 2.8 points per game.
“I am very pleased to add Jeff and Dom to the program,” Coleman said. “They fill immediate needs for us and are both good fits as far as what we are trying to do on and off the court.”
Coleman was hired as the Vulcans head coach on July 1. He took over the program from Jeff Law, who coached the Vulcans for 15 years before stepping down at the end of the 2012-13 season to take the head coaching job at Western New Mexico University.
The Vulcans were 6-19 overall, including 4-13 in the Pacific West Conference, last year under Law.
Since being hired in early July, Coleman has been busy recruiting while trying to fill out his roster for the 2013-14 season. He believes Perkins and Campbell immediately upgrade the current roster, which included six returnees and a junior college guard signed earlier in the summer.
Coleman describes Perkins as “a versatile player.”
“He can guard every position on the floor for us and has the ability to get to the rim and score on the offensive end,” Coleman said. “He has very good size for a wing. Jeff’s athletic ability, versatility and competitiveness, fits well with what we are trying to do.”
The UHH coach calls Campbell “an active shotblocker and rebounder.”
“He’s a great kid that is full of energy and plays really hard,” Coleman said. “He’s really athletic and quick, and can guard anyone.”
Perkins and Campbell join California point guard Joey Rodriguez, who signed before Coleman’s hiring July 1, and six returnees on the 2013-14 roster.
Rodriguez, a 6-foot junior, played at College of Marin and was named to the all-conference team. He had a standout prep career at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, Calif. before attending College of Marin.
Rodriguez was signed in June by then Vulcan assistant coach Zac Zepponi, who oversaw the UHH men’s basketball program for two months after Law left for Western New Mexico University. Zepponi is not returning as an assistant under Coleman.
The returnees include four seniors, a junior, and a graduate in 5-11 guard Daniel Perry, who has a year’s eligibility left to play.
The seniors include Derek Owens, a 6-1 point guard; Lucas Swanson, a 6-2 shooting guard; Brandon Thomas, a 6-6 forward; and Oxone-Ross Mavungu, a 6-4 forward.
The junior is Mika Wong, a 6-0 guard.
Coleman will be assisted this season by Tyson Sturza.