Nov. 20, 2001
ROCK HILL, SC--Three men's basketball players who committed to Winthrop last month have followed through and signed national letters of intent to play for the Eagles in 2002-2003.
Winthrop head coach Gregg Marshall announced today that Billy Houston, James Shuler and Kwbana Beckles have signed their scholarship papers and will join the program next season.
Houston and Shuler are high school seniors while Beckles is a sophomore at Palm Beach Community College. Houston plays at Seventy-First High School in Fayetteville, NC, while Shuler stars at Sante Fe High School near Gainesville, FL.
Houston, 6-8, averaged 12 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots as a junior. He has been a member of his high school varsity team for four years. "Billy is more of an inside player and plays much bigger than he really is," says Marshall. "He should be very physical and tough on our level and continue to develop his skills to where he can play facing the basket. In addition to his basketball skills, Billy is a good student."
Shuler, a 6-5 guard, earned second team All-State honors in Florida Class 5A last year as a junior. He averaged 21 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists as he helped lead Santa Fe to a 21-7 record and No. 5 ranking in the state. "James is a slashing, wing player who can play above the rim and handle the ball.," says the Eagles' coach. "He can also play the point guard with the way he can handle and pass the ball."
Beckles, a 6-8, 230-lb., post player at PBCC, averaged 9.0 points and 9.0 rebounds last year as a freshman and helped his team compile a 22-14 record. He is currently averaging in double figures for the Panthers who entered the season as the 25th ranked junior college team in the nation. He played high school basketball at Cathedral High School in Hamilton, Ontario. Marshall says Beckles is a combination of size and strength. "He is a very physical player who can play inside or can step out and face the basket. He can also run the floor extremely well. Kwbana is also a tremendous young man and excellent student. We are excited to be getting him."
