Jamal McClerkin signed scholarship at Metro State
DENVER - Metro State men’s basketball coach Derrick Clark announced the addition of two student-athletes for the 2012-13 season on Thursday. Jourdon Hunter (freshman, Denver/Kennedy H.S.) and Jamal McClerkin (junior, Van Nuys, Calif./Moorpark College) both signed National Letters of Intent to continue their basketball careers with the Roadrunners.
Hunter is a 6-foot senior at Kennedy High School in Denver where he was named first team all-state this past season. He averaged 22 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals, leading Kennedy H.S. to the Class 4A Great 8. He also played in The Show all-star game.
Former Metro State standout Lester Strong, who played on the school’s 2002 national championship team, also is a product of Kennedy High School. Strong has been playing professionally in Australia since his career at Metro ended. In another connection with Strong, McClerkin comes from the community college that produced Strong, Moorpark College.
“Jourdon Hunter is a high-character kid that attended the same high school as former ‘Runner Lester Strong,” Clark said. “Jourdan gives us a young athletic point guard with a great feel for the game. One thing that sets Jourdan apart is his ability to shoot the three. Jourdan has been well-coached and it shows the way he plays.”
McClerkin is a 6-foot-2 sophomore at Moorpark College in Moorpark, Calif. In his two seasons at Moorpark, he has been named first team all-conference twice, averaging 18 points both seasons. He shot 38 percent from the outside and averaged seven rebounds as a sophomore. He was also a three-time all-conference player at Chaminade Prep in West Hills, Calif., during his high school career.
“Jamal gives us a strong physical defender on the perimeter,” Clark said. “He is athletic and will also provide rebounding from the perimeter. [Like Hunter], Jamal is also a well-coached, high-character kid.”
Clark still may add another player or two to his recruiting class. In addition to the two signees, the Roadrunners will welcome Mitch McCarron to the court next season. McCarron sat out 2011-12 as a redshirt, but will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-3 guard is a member of the Australian U-19 national team and averaged 31 points at Genesis Christian College.
Metro State finished the 2011-12 season by winning the Central Region championship, while making its 14th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 15 years, the most of any Division II school. The Roadrunners finished 25-7 overall and 17-5 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. They lose just two seniors from the 2011-12 season.