A little followup on LT's recruiting

From the LA TECH web site comes the latest with this summary:

April 18, 2008

RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech head coach Kerry Rupp announced Friday morning that his Bulldogs will add transfers David Jackson and Jamel Guyton along with high-schooler Brandon Gibson to the roster for the 2008-09 season.

"This is another testament of how hard our staff has worked," Rupp said. "We have added three quality players to our lineup that I fully expect to be good for the future of Tech basketball. These players know what we want to be about. They are excellent young men on and off the court."

Gibson lettered four years of high school ball for Marianna High School in Marianna, Fla., where he averaged nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds as a senior which earned him 3A First Team All-State honors. The 6'5" soon-to-be true freshman was named All-Big Ben, Terrific 10 and MVP of Jackson County and earned district MVP honors.

"Brandon has made his hometown proud and had an excellent high school career," Rupp said. "He has the work ethic, dedication and talent that it takes to be a great basketball player."

Gibson helped lead Marianna to the state Final Four this past season after winning the district title.

"I definitely think he's a great kid," Marianna High School head coach Travis Blanton said of Gibson. "He's a hard worker and it has been an honor to coach him. I'm certain his best basketball is ahead of him, and he's going to be a great player. We're excited he's going to remain a Bulldog."

Gibson added he is excited to be playing for Louisiana Tech.

"My first goal in mind was to make a big impact for my town," Gibson said. "Signing with Tech did that for me. My next goal is to get to the tournament. I'm very excited about coming here. I'm going to try to help make something big happen."

Guard Jamel Guyton played two seasons at Odessa College in Odessa, Texas, where he earned a reputation as a shooter. At 6'2", Guyton averaged 18 points this past season and was named all-conference and all-region in both seasons he played.

"Tech provides a good opportunity for me to play," Guyton said. "I'm excited about be able to shoot and help get Tech to the tournament."

Odessa head coach Dennis Helms echoed Guyton's shooting skills and expects he will be a good addition for Tech.

"I think Tech is a good situation for him," Helms said. "Tech is on the track to having a strong program. Jamel shoots the ball very well and will take pressure off bigs down low."

Rupp added "Jamel has impressed us with his shooting ability. He's a great basketball player who knows how to score and can hurt defenses if they are not careful."

Jackson spent last season at Mesa Community College in his hometown of Mesa, Ariz. He averaged 16.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 58 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free-throw line and was named third team All-ACCAC.

Prior to Mesa, Jackson spent a season at Idaho where he started 16 games and averaged 7.2 points per game for the year. He even scored 12 points against the Bulldogs in Moscow during the 2006-07 season.

Jackson said he is looking forward to playing for Tech this season. "I'm very excited about signing with Tech," Jackson said. "It's a great situation and a different type of team."

The three signees make a total of five that the Bulldogs have signed over this past year including Ruston High star Josh Brown and superstar point guard Holton Hunsaker out of Utah. Hunsaker will join the team during the 2010-11 season. He will be serving a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Mission in Suva, Fiji, starting in July.