The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Hoops Adds Two More To Signing Class
4/27/2010 | Men's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. - The 2010 Ole Miss basketball signing class was further bolstered on Tuesday with the addition of forward Isaiah Massey and guard Donald Williams, head coach Andy Kennedy announced.
"We are excited to announce the signing of two quality players to this year's recruiting class," Kennedy said. "With the addition of Isaiah and Donald, we addressed two needs for next year's team."
Massey, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward from TAAG Academy in Tampa, Fla., will have four years of eligibility with the Rebels beginning in 2010-11. Williams, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound guard, will have three years of eligibility beginning in 2010-11 after transferring from Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, Calif. Williams redshirted the 2008-09 season as a freshman at Kentucky.
Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., Massey has been tabbed as one of the top 20 fifth-year players in the nation by Mike LaPlante of ESPN Recruiting. He averaged 15 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game at TAAG Academy. He previously attended Union Grove High School in McDonough, Ga., where he posted 17 points and 12 rebounds and three blocks per game before going to prep school. Massey chose the Rebels over interest from Providence, St. John's, South Florida and UAB.
"Isaiah is an extremely athletic, aggressive power forward who we believe has barely scratched the surface of his potential," Kennedy said. "He pursues the ball with reckless abandon and scores effectively out to 16 feet."
Known for his outstanding shooting and scoring ability, Williams averaged 16.6 points per game for Antelope Valley and stepped it up to 20.8 points per contest in league play, shooting 56 percent from the field and 45 percent from behind the arc. He was a CCCAA first-team All-State selection and first-team All-Foothill Conference pick for the 2009-10 season. Before Antelope Valley, he sat out his freshman year as a redshirt for Billy Gillispie at Kentucky. A native of Baton Rouge, La., Williams went to Progressive Christian Academy (Temple Hills, Md.) in 2008-09, where he poured in 25 points per game. As a member of the New Orleans Jazz AAU team, he was the MVP of the prestigious Bob Gibbon's Tournament of Champions in the spring of 2008. Prior to Progressive Christian, he attended Southern Lab High School in Baton Rouge, where he was a two-time All-State and four-time All-District selection. Williams picked Ole Miss over interest from Arkansas, Penn State, Rutgers, Wyoming and Tulane.
"Donald is a young man who has put in a lot of time and effort in his pursuit to return to the SEC," Kennedy said. "He is a strong, aggressive, big wing who can really stretch the defense with his ability to shoot the ball."
They will join incoming freshmen Demarco Cox (Yazoo City, Miss.) and Dundrecous Nelson (Jackson, Miss.) in this year's signing class.
