April 11, 2012

Contact: Greg Murphy

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Josh Ivory (Alexandria, La.), who helped Peabody Magnet H.S. to a pair of state championships over the last three years, has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Cleveland State and play basketball beginning in the fall of 2012.

"We are extremely excited about Josh's ability to come in and perform for us this season," head coach Gary Waters said. "He is a tough kid who is a strong defender and fierce competitor and knows how to win. Josh is an all-around quality guard who can shoot the three, penetrate and find the open player. I look forward to watching Josh develop as a player and person at Cleveland State."

Ivory, a 6-foot-2 guard, averaged 15.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals this past season and was regarded as the team's lockdown defender. He earned first team all-district and all-Cenla honors, while also being named to the honorable mention all-state squad after helping Peabody Magnet to a 35-2 record and the 4A state championship.

Peabody Magnet finished the season ranked 29th in the Powerade Fab 50 national rankings.

As a junior, Ivory averaged 8.0 points per game, helping the squad to a 31-4 record and a state runner-up finish.

Ivory was the starting point guard as a sophomore, helping direct the team to a perfect 41-0 record and a state title. He averaged 10.5 points per game as the squad finished the year ranked 23rd in the nation in the USA Today Super 25 poll.

Over his final three seasons in high school, Ivory helped the Warhorses to a 103-5 record, an average of 34 wins per season, three straight appearances in the state championship game and two state titles.