FORT COLLINS — It took pretty much all day, but Colorado State basketball got its national letters of intent in hand. It is a small but potentially potent class of two, and they could turn out to be real steals.
The Rams signed 6-foot-2 shooting guard Jordan Mason out of Ennis High in the Dallas area, and Jermaine Morgan, a 6-8 power forward from Whitney Young High in Chicago.
“I’m excited about these two young guys,” CSU coach Tim Miles said. “They are going to be good for us.”
Mason, who averaged 22.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for Ennis as a junior, is a find for Miles and his staff. Mason had an offer from Houston, among other schools, but will play for the Rams. A player with range out to the 3-point line, he led his team to the District 15 4A title, before it was upset in the first round of the playoffs.
Mason turned heads while playing for the Texas Select Elite AAU team in the summer, showing many of the same qualities that made him successful on his high school team. At Ennis High, he is coached by his father, Jerry.
Miles likes the fact Morgan is a “son of a coach” and, even more, that Jordan “is a playmaking guard. He can really score.”
Meanwhile, Morgan’s commitment and subsequent signing were direct payoffs from adding assistant coach Ron Coleman to the staff this summer. Coleman coached at Whitney Young, where Coleman played, before coming to CSU.
Morgan is a defender/rebounder who had interest from Iowa and Minnesota among others.
“He’s battle tested,” Miles said. “I’m excited to get a player of his caliber.”
Meanwhile, the CSU women’s basketball team signed three players — guard Courtney Lisowski from Archbishop Mitty High in San Jose, Calif.; 5-11 guard Emily Johnson from Georgetown (Texas) High; and guard Caitlin Duffy, a 19-point-per game scorer from Rapid City, S.D.
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
