YSU signs two J.C. players

— NCAA basketball —

Staff report

Youngstown

Junior college transfers DuShawn Brooks and Fred Ford signed letters-of-intent to join YSU’s men’s basketball team.

Brooks, a 6-foot-6 small forward from Chicago, spent two seasons at Butler County Community College, where he scored 589 points in two years.

Last season, Brooks averaged 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the floor, 40 percent from 3-point range and 72 percent from the foul line.

During his freshman season, Brooks scored 242 points for an average of 8.3 points per contest.

Slocum was impressed with Brooks’ athleticism and versatility.

“DuShawn possess the ability to play multiple positions,” Slocum said. “At 6-foot-6, he can play inside, but his strength is his shooting ability. He has great flexibility because of different positions he can play.

“He comes from an outstanding junior college that is historically one of the best programs in the country.”

Brooks was impressed by the YSU atmosphere.

“I really liked the campus and the facilities,” Brooks said. “The coaching staff was really nice and they have been recruiting me for a while. It was a pretty easy decision.

“I think I bring competitiveness to Youngstown State and I hate to lose.”

Ford, a 6-foot point guard from Fort Wayne, Ind., played at Vincennes University Junior College. He helped lead the Trailblazers to a 22-10 record last season and ranked second on the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game. He also led the squad with 147 assists (4.9 per game) and grabbed 2.6 rebounds per contest.

As a freshman, Ford played at UMKC and averaged 3.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for the Kangaroos.

“Fred has all of the attributes we seek in a point guard,” Slocum said. “He has a great basketball IQ, has Division I experience and can shoot the ball extremely well. He has the ability to stretch the defense not only with his shooting capabilities but with ability to get to the basket as well.”

Brooks and Ford join Josh Chojnacki, a post from Erie, Pa., and Perry, a guard from Orlando, Fla., in the 2010-11 recruiting class.