BEAUMONT, Texas — Lamar University landed a huge signing class Tuesday afternoon with the addition of seven student-athletes (four transfers and three signees). Terry Anderson (6-6, F, Deer Park, Texas/Arkansas-Cossatot), Jakevion "Jay" Buckley (6-0, G/F, Shelbyville, Texas/Trinity Valley CC), Nate Calmese (6-2, G, Gilbert, Ariz./Mesquite HS), Adam Hamilton (6-9, C, Buckeye, Ariz./Glendale CC), Cody Pennebaker (6-5, G, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Park Center HS), Chris Pryor (5-11, G, DeSoto, Texas/McLennan CC) and Jason Thirdkill, Jr. (6-7, F, Dallas, Texas/Home School) have announced their intentions to continue their education with and play basketball for the Cardinals.
The highly touted recruiting class fills needs at every position consisting of three guards, two forwards, one center and one who can play both guard and forward. It also includes three players who have received NJCAA All-America (Anderson, Hamilton and Pryor) honors prior to arriving at LU.
The incoming class also brings with it a national flair as the seven players represent three different states. In addition to the Lone Star State (four), the class also represents Arizona (two) and Minnesota (one).
"From the very beginning, we've talked about restoring the tradition here and chasing championships," said LU head coach Alvin Brooks. "We wanted to get better with size, athleticism, skill, basketball IQ and championship quality guys. This class gives us a great deal of balance, from the standpoint of positions, size and skill, we have a little bit of everything in this class. In addition to that, this class also provides a good mixture of junior college veterans – two of which will have three years to play for us – to go along with three high school guys.
"I give a lot of credit to my staff, but I also have to recognize Dr. Taylor who really went out of his way to help us in recruiting," added Brooks.
The class will bring immediate size and length to the roster, in addition to an added scoring punch. The incoming guards average 6-2, while the forwards and center combine to averaged 6-8.
One of three NJCAA All-Americans, Anderson was a double-double man for the University of Arkansas-Cossatot. He averaged better than 20 points and pulled down 13.4 rebounds per game this past season for the Colts. A native of Houston, Anderson graduated from Deer Park High School where he played the forward spot at 6-3. Since graduation, Anderson has added three inches to his frame. One of the top 30 junior college prospects in the nation, Anderson wrapped up the 2021-22 campaign by earning second-team All-America honors.
In addition to his ability to score and grab rebounds, Anderson was also key at getting his teammates involved in the scoring averaging six assists per game, all while shooting 50 percent from the field. In addition to shooting nearly 77 percent from the free throw line, Anderson seemed to put up his best numbers against high-level competition – scoring 19 points against No. 1 Kilgore JC earlier this year.
"Terry is a Houston-area guy who is transferring to us and will have three years to play," said Brooks. "He is long and athletic player who has the ability to play multiple positions. He is a very competitive young man, who gives you the opportunity to compete against higher-level schools because of his size and athleticism. He is a very tough kid."
A two-year letterwinner at Trinity Valley, Buckley really came into his own during his sophomore season. He averaged 18.4 points and 4.6 rebounds, all while ranking among the national leaders in assists (7.8 pg). After getting his freshman season at TVCC back (due to COVID), Buckley stepped on the court to shoot better than 34 percent from long range in addition to knocking down 75 percent of his free throw attempts. As a freshman, he was the starting point guard for TVCC, helping lead the team to the NJCAA National Tournament.
"Buckley will also have three years to play for us," said Brooks. "He won a state championship in high school and was a guard for a junior college team that went to the national tournament as a freshman. This is a point guard who can play both guard positions because he led his conference in scoring, assists and steals. Buckley is a competitor who makes us better at the position."
Calmese comes to the Golden Triangle after a standout prep career at Arizona's Mesquite High School in Gilbert. A 4A All-State selection, Calmese scored better than 31 points per game while dishing out nearly five assists per contest on his way to Arizona Region Player of the Year and Arizona Finest Mixtape Player of the Year honors. Calmese guided his prep squad to a 27-3 (.900) overall record and a perfect mark in district play. He is more than just a one-focus player. Calmese is also a threat on the defensive end of the court averaging better than five rebounds and nearly three steals per game during his senior season.
Calmese also has a flair for the dramatic. As a senior, he guided Mesquite to their first state title in school history. More impressive than the title, is how Mesquite won it. With seconds on the clock and trailing by two, Calmese batted away a full court pass, grabbed the loose ball and heaved it in the air from beyond half court as the buzzer sounded. Moments later the ball snapped the net at the other end of the floor for the one-point victory. The play was recognized by ESPN as the SportsCenter Top 10 Play of the Day.
"Nate is known for his ability to score, but the thing that really jumped out to me was his unselfishness and willingness to do whatever it takes to win," said Brooks. "He brings a really good skill set with him to LU. He was excited about that opportunity to come here, and we're really excited to have him."
A 6-9, center from Glendale Community College, Hamilton comes to LU after a highly touted JUCO career. A defensive stalwart, Hamilton garnered second-team NJCAA All-America honors after averaging 18.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore, while also being named conference defensive player of the year after recording 3.5 blocks per game. All of this was done while averaging less than 30 minutes per game. A two-year letterwinner for GCC, he closed out his career by earning first-team All-ACCAC honors after shooting nearly 53 percent from the field.
"Adam comes to us with two years of eligibility remaining," said Brooks. "He gives what we don't have on the frontline. He's a 6-9 kid who can handle, pass and shoot the basketball and he's a really good shot blocker. With Adam on the court, he allows us the opportunity to stretch the floor offensively and defensively, he guards the low post really well. Adam is more of a 'throwback' because he does a little bit of everything."
One of three prep signees in the class, Pennebaker comes to LU from Minnesota. Sharing a common bond with Calmese, Pennebaker also helped his prep squad to its first state title in program history, where he garnered all-tournament team honors. A second-team all-state selection, Pennebaker scored 1,000 points during his prep career and was a candidate for Mr. Basketball this past season.
"Cody comes to us from a really good high school where they went 31-1 and won a state championship," said Brooks. "His high school coach, James Ware, I coached at Texas Tech. Cody is a big guard, and I felt like our program needed bigger, more athletic guards which is something we didn't have when I got here. He addresses that need for us immediately. Not only can Cody score, but he's a good defender with a high basketball IQ and he takes care of the basketball."
Pryor went the junior college route after averaging 12 points, 6.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game in high school. His numbers have only jumped since his time in the JUCO ranks. After averaging 9.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and a team-high 4.0 assists per game as a freshman, Pryor watched his numbers jump by five points per game during the COVID season. During his sophomore season, Pryor was named NTJCAC Player of the Year after averaging better than 12 points per game while shooting 54 percent from the field and better than 47 percent from three-point range. He did all this while averaging nearly four assists per game.
Pryor already has a connection with LU, having played with current Cardinal, Xavier Ball. Pryor will have two years of eligibility with the Cardinals.
"Chris is an ultra-competitive point guard, which is what you want your leader to be – your leader has to be your point guard," said Brooks. "Chris won big at DeSoto High School and followed that up by winning a ton of games McLennan Junior College. He was conference player of the year who really put up some crazy numbers shooting 60 percent from three-point range in conference play (41 percent for the year). Chris does not take bad shots. He's just another member of this class who has won at a high level."
A three-star prospect from Dallas, Texas, Thirdkill comes to LU as a highly sought-after target. Rated as the No. 17 prospect in the state, he is ranked as the No. 45 small forward in the country according to 247Sports.com, and the No. 168 recruit in the country according to PrepHoops.com. He guided his prep squad to a conference title and a regional runner-up finish after averaging 25 points per game, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 70 percent from the free throw line.
"Jason is a 6-7, athletic prospect who comes to us from a very good family," said Brooks. "When I was a junior at Lamar, we played Bradley in the Great Alaska Shootout, and they had a player by the name of David Thirdkill, who Jason is related to. As soon as I heard Jason's name, I knew he had to be related. He has a great work ethic and a high upside, but I believe this someone LU fans are really going to love because of his size, athleticism and skill set. He is going to make us bigger on the wing and can play multiple positions."
Thirdkill is home schooled and plays for Just Prep Academy. He chose LU over offers from Texas A&M, LSU, TCU, Louisiana Tech, East Carolina, DePaul and UT Arlington.
"I've been a part of rebuilds before and your first class has to be strong," said Brooks. "This was our first class where we had the ability to evaluate everyone, look at what we need and recruit guys that fit what we need. Everyone ranks players and classes differently – that stuff doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is when your recruits get to campus how much do they impact winning in your program. When we look back, I believe that this class is going to put us on the path to get back to where we need to be.
"When you sit down to start evaluating players, you identify your top tier guys – the guys that you target that you really want. If you don't get your top guys, that is when you move to the next level. All seven players we signed were guys we targeted and were our top tier players. It's very rare that you get all of the guys that you want in recruiting," added Brooks.
