Ole Miss basketball head coach Andy Kennedy announced the signing of three high school standouts, including a top-100 recruit, to national letters of intent Wednesday.
Jamarko Pickett, Devontae Shuler and Parker Stewart all signed national letters of intent to join the Rebels for the 2017-2018 academic year. The trio has the highest average player rating in school history according to 247 Sports.
“We are very excited about these three young men joining our program,” said Kennedy, the winningest coach in Ole Miss history. “We feel we added to the versatility of our current roster with the addition of three outstanding young players!”
Pickett, a 6-9, 190-pound forward, comes to Oxford from Massanutten Military Academy in Virginia. Originally from Washington D.C., Pickett averaged 17.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots a game last year as a senior at Eastern High School for coach Emmanual Kakula en route to first team All-DCIAA honors. The No. 17 power forward in the nation according to Scout.com, Pickett also played for DC Premier AAU squad and averaged 14 points per game, while shooting 46 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3-point range on the summer circuit. He is averaging 20 points, seven boards and two blocked shots per game this season to help Massanutten and coach Chad Myers to a 3-0 start and a No. 10 national ranking. Pickett was named the biggest sleeper signee in the SEC by HoopSeen.com and chose Ole Miss over Arizona State, Creighton, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island and South Carolina.
“Jamarko is a long, athletic, versatile forward who can shoot the three, create off the bounce and protect the basket,” Kennedy said. “He a prime example of a kid being completely under the radar to blowing up with a strong showing on the AAU circuit in July. With added strength, his skill set is going to allow him to do big things at Ole Miss.”
A composite four-star guard, Shuler is rated the No. 100 player in the nation by 247 Sports and Scout.com and No. 104 by Rivals.com. A native of Irmo, South Carolina, the same hometown as Rebel legend Murphy Holloway, Shuler attended Irmo High School before transferring to perennial powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia last season. As a junior, Shuler averaged 10.1 points per game and helped lead Oak Hill and legendary coach Steve Smith to a 45-1 record, including the Dick’s Sporting Goods National Championship. He leads Oak Hill with 14.8 points and 3.2 steals a game through five games this season and ranks second on the team with 16 assists. He averaged 12 points and three rebounds a game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3-point range for Team CP3 on the 2016 EYBL summer circuit. Shuler was named the top shooting guard signee in the SEC by HoopSeen.com and chose the Rebels over Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma State, South Carolina and USC.
“Ole Miss has never signed a player from Oak Hill Academy,” Kennedy said. “Coach Steve Smith has been there over 30 years and has had unprecedented national success! They won their ninth national championship last season and Devontae was a big part of that run. Steve has said many times that Devontae may be the best on-ball defender that he has ever had at Oak Hill! At 6-2, he is an explosive combo guard who we expect to have an immediate impact on our program next season.”
A 6-5 combo guard, Stewart is one of the nation’s top shooters. He averaged 19 points, six boards and two steals a game while shooting 51 percent from the field and 39 percent from behind the arc last season for coach Shane Sisco at Union City High School. Stewart’s sharp shooting helped lead Team Penny to the championship game of Peach Jam this summer and he was named the top shooting signee in the SEC by HoopSeen.com. Parker is the son of UT Martin head coach Anthony Stewart, who has more than 15 years of college coaching experience. He chose Ole Miss over Georgetown, Kansas State, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
“Parker is a big guard who can play any of our backcourt positions,” Kennedy said. “His size coupled with his outstanding 3-point shooting ability give us a chance to use him in a number of different ways. Parker comes from a basketball family and has a great understanding of how to play.”
Ole Miss tips off its 107th season of basketball Friday at 6 p.m. against UT Martin in The Pavilion. Season tickets are on sale now and feature an 18-game home schedule including nine SEC games. Fans can visit OleMissHoops.com for more information and to purchase tickets. Single-game non-conference tickets are also on sale now. For more information, please call the Ole Miss Ticket Office at (662) 915-7167 or 1-888-732-8587.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
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