Murray State men’s basketball coach Matt McMahon announced the signing of three student-athletes to join the Racers in the 2016-17 season as freshmen.
The trio of Racer signees includes Jalen Dupree (Cordova, Tenn.), Dondre Griffin (Raleigh, N.C.) and Gilbert Thomas (Houston, Texas).
“I am extremely excited about our three signees,” Coach McMahon said. “We were able to address our frontcourt needs with two very athletic forwards and we also added a highly skilled guard to our backcourt. All three student-athletes are high character individuals from great families and I’m really looking forward to their arrivals on campus next summer.”
Jalen Dupree – Forward – 6-8 – Cordova High School – Cordova, Tenn.
Jalen Dupree is from a Cordova Wolves team that won the Tennessee District 14 3A championship last season in one of the most competitive districts in the state.
Dupree was named All-District and averaged 10 points, eight rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots per game on a team that had seven players average in the area of 10 points per game. One memorable game for Dupree came against Memphis HSA when he was just shy of a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and nine blocked shots.
“Jalen caught our attention with his outstanding play at the Nike Peach Jam tournament this summer,” McMahon said. “His athleticism, rebounding ability, and skill level will fit in very well with our system.”
“He’s from a solid family background,” said Cordova Head Coach Terrance Scales. “He’s a great student as well and a high character guy. I think Jalen has only begun to scratch the surface of how good he can be. He’s only been playing four years and I’ve seen a lot of improvement over the last 15 to 16 months. Right now he’s a good rebounder and can guard the rim and improving offensively.”
Dondre Griffin – Guard – 6-4 – Knightdale High School – Raleigh, N.C.
Dondre Griffin enters his senior season for the Knightdale Knights as one of the top guards in North Carolina.
His team made it to the quarterfinals of the North Carolina playoffs in class 4A. Griffin averaged 13 points and five rebounds as a junior.
“Dondre has a high basketball IQ and can really shoot the ball from three,” McMahon said. “He possesses good size at the guard position and will bring charisma and a strong work ethic to our program.”
“Number one for me is Dondre is a great person from a great family,” said Coach Anthony Byrd. “He’s a very confident shooter and is on his way to becoming a complete player. He’s a gym rat and is very competitive. He was vital to our success last season and we have high expectations for him. Dondre understands that and is one of our team captains. He makes those around him better players and he’s a great teammate.”
Gilbert Thomas – Forward – 6-6 – CE King High School – Houston, Texas
Gilbert Thomas comes from a successful program that won back-to-back Texas District-21 5A championships while racking up a 54-12 record.
As a junior, Thomas was the District MVP, named to the All-Greater Houston Team and was named the Southeast Texas Player of the Year. He averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots per game.
“I love Gilbert’s athleticism, toughness, and competitiveness,” McMahon said. He’s a high energy player who impacts the game in multiples ways with his 7’2 wing span.”
“Gilbert has accomplished what you would expect to see from a person of his caliber,” said Coach Laurence Woods. “It has been a pleasure to coach him, to watch him grow and mature and become a young man that understands life on the court and off it. Right now, I’d say the strength of his game is his ability to make plays on both ends of the court. His game has broadened now he’s gotten experience playing the three spot.”
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