Southern Miss add 6 hoops signees

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss men's basketball head coach Doc Sadler announced the signings of Cortez Edwards (Kissimmee, Fla.), Robert Thomas (Odessa, Texas), Tim Rowe (Lilburn, Ga.), Michael Ramey (Indianapolis, Ind.), Raheem Watts (Greenville, S.C.) and Quinton Campbell (Wilmer, Ala.) to national-letters of intent for the 2015-16 school year, Thursday afternoon.

"I'm very excited about the group of kids that we have coming in," said Sadler. "We've got a good mix of high school junior college players. One thing that I like about all of them is that they all can shoot the basketball. At times this year, we had a hard time scoring. With the addition of these six guys, I think that will make things easier. More so than anything, character-wise, we were able to fulfill our two main objectives. That was to get high-character kids who are good basketball players. They are, first-and-foremost, here to get an education, and then be the best that they can be on the basketball court."

Edwards, a 6-2 guard, helped Osceola High School to a 21-5 record, including a 12-0 district record. This year he helped Osceola to the Class 7A-5 District Championship, the Class 7A-2 Regional Championship and an appearance in the FHSAA Class 7A state championship game. As a senior, he averaged 20.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.3 steals. His performance earned him Osceola News-Gazette Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. He was also named to the Class 7A All-Tournament Team after averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds while earning All-Area First Team by the Orlando Sentinel.

"I'm really excited about joining Southern Miss," said Edwards. "I'm ready to work with all the guys. I actually know three of the other guys that signed. I really enjoyed my visit and working with team. I'm just excited to try to help the program and to get this thing going."

Thomas, a 6-0 guard, averaged 26.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.1 steals last year. He is the two-time District 2-5A Offensive Most Valuable Player and was named the 3-6A Most Valuable Player. As a junior, he led Permian to its first district title since 1987. As a freshman, he was named the District 3-5A Newcomer of the Year.

"I firmly believe that the decisions you make reflect your priorities," said Thomas. "I feel like going to Southern Miss will help me in the future as I grow as a student-athlete."

Rowe, a 6-11 forward, spent last year at Mount Zion Prep in Maryland. Prior to Mount Zion, Rowe was a four-year starter at Berkmar High School, where he helped the Patriots to four consecutive trips to the state tournament, including three trips to the Elite Eight. He helped Berkmar to three Region 8-AAAAAA championships. As a senior, he was named Gwinnett County Tip-Off Club First Team All-County and Second Team All-Region. As a junior, he was named Third Team All-Region. He also participated in the Georgia North/South and Gwinnett County All-Star Games as a senior.

"Southern Miss gave me more of a home feeling," said Rowe. "I love the coaching staff. I think they are a perfect fit for me. The offense that they run is perfect for me. I really like the guys there. They have some good guys that I know I can get along with."

Ramey, a 6-5 guard, led Seminole State College (Okla.) to a 19-14 record last year. He averaged 13.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He shot 55.8% from the field, 80.0% from the free throw line, and led all of NJCAA in three-point field goal percentage, connecting on 59.3% (67-of-113).

Ramey spent the previous year at Miami-Dade College, averaging 11.9 points in 16 games before missing the rest of the season with an injured wrist. The Indianapolis, Ind., native began his collegiate career at Ball State. He played in 10 of its first 11 games, averaging 2.9 points per game, before missing the remainder of the season with an illness.

Ramey played his high school ball at Southport High School, where he was a four-time All-Conference Indiana selection and three-time All-Marion County. He averaged 17.2 points per game in his high school career, scoring more than 1,000 points. As a senior, he was named honorable mention All-State, and was ranked as one of the top-25 shooters in the country for the class of 2012 by ESPN.com. He owns Southport records for single-season free throw percentage (.890), single-game three-pointers made (9) and most consecutive free throws made (27). Ramey led the state of Indiana in three-point shooting as a junior, connecting on 52.4-percent (66-of-126), while averaging a career-best 19.5 points per game. As a senior, he was selected for the Indiana North-South All-Star Game and the Hoosiers' Reunion All-Star Classic.

"When I came on my visit, I really liked the coaching staff," said Ramey. "I've been familiar with Coach Sadler for a few years and I just felt really comfortable with the staff. I think there's a need to score points, and that's what my role is going be. I'm just looking forward to coming in and helping the team win."

Watts, a 6-7 forward, spent last year at Dodge City (Kan.) CC, where he averaged 8.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and shot 45.3% from the field. The previous year, he averaged 9.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and connected on 45.7% from the floor while playing at Jacksonville (Fla.) College. In 2012-13, he played at Evelyn Mack Academy (N.C.), where he helped the Wildcats to a 15-8 record. In 19 games, he averaged 10.7 points and 4.1 rebounds.

"I could see myself there spending two years, and having a pretty good two years, at Southern Miss," said Watts. "I fell in love as soon as I arrived in Hattiesburg. It seemed so familiar, and yet I had never been there before."

Campbell, a 6-7 guard/forward, spent the last two years at East Central (Miss.) CC. This past year, he averaged 14.2 points and 8.7 rebounds while leading the Warriors to a 14-12 record. He also connected on 46.2% from the field and 33.6% from three. His performance earned him First Team All-State and First Team All-Region 23. He was also selected for the MACJC All-Star Game. As a freshman, he averaged 10.5 points and 8.0 rebounds, while connecting on 45.4% from the field. He was named ECCC's Most Valuable Offensive Player.

"Overall, I felt Southern Miss had good, quality people," said Campbell. It is a great environment. When I met Coach Sadler, he was completely honest with me. He told me what he expected out of his players. He has a goal, and I want to help him get there.