CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland State head men's basketball coach Gary Waters has announced the signings of Jamarcus Hairston (Danville, Va.), Kasheem Thomas (Chateauguay, Quebec, Canada) and Anthony Wright (Harrisburg, Pa.) to National Letters of Intent to join the Vikings in 2016-17.
Thomas will have four years of eligibility at CSU, while Hairston and Wright will have two seasons of eligibility.
The trio will join Evan Clayborne (Dayton, Ohio) and Andy Lucien (North Olmsted, Ohio) who joined the Vikings during the early signing period and Gavin Peppers (Brookeville, Md.) who signed with CSU at the start of the late period in April.
Hairston, a 6-foot-8 forward, was named a third team NJCAA Division II All-American at Louisburg JC this past season after averaging 14.1 points and 9.0 rebounds, while shooting 37-percent from three-point. He posted 27 double-digit scoring games and 15 double-digit rebounding games, including a 19-rebound performance in the NJCAA National Tournament. He led Louisburg to a 28-7 record and sixth place finish at the NJCAA Championship this year.
"Jamarcus is a great addition for us," Waters said. "He has the ability to play the four and the five and his length and athleticism will help him at both positions. He can step out and shoot the basketball and also play down on the block. We expect Jamarcus to be an instant contributor for us this upcoming season."
The 6-foot Thomas earned Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association All-Canadian second team honors in each of last two seasons. This past season, he ranked second in the conference in scoring (18.4) and assists (4.9) and third in free throw percentage (.827), shooting 44-percent from three-point. He averaged 13.5 points, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game as a junior.
"We are excited to bring a player of Kasheem's magnitude into the program," Waters said. "He will provide an immediate lift at the point guard position. He brings quickness, good shooting and ball handling and the ability to penetrate as a point guard. We expect to see big things from Kasheem despite him being just a freshman."
Wright, a 6-foot-6 wing/forward, earned 2016 NJCAA Division I honorable mention All-America honors last year after averaging 17.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.3 steals per game, ranking fourth in the nation. He led Harcum JC to a 28-5 record, a Region XV and District 3 championship and a berth in the NJCAA National Tournament as the squad was ranked 14th in the final NJCAA Division I poll.
Wright, who shot 55-percent from the field and 75-percent at the free throw line, finished his as Harcum's all-time leader with 177 career steals, while also ranking eighth in assists (213) and ninth in points (768) and rebounds (335). Wright set a single game school record with 10 steals in a game and made a school-record 107 steals as a sophomore.
"Anthony is a great addition to what we want to do offensively and defensively," Waters said. "His length gives him the ability to defend and make steals, giving us an instant threat on the defensive end. But he also gives us just as much on the offensive end with his ability to score both inside and outside. He has tremendous speed and athleticism and is a great finisher in transition."
