Monday, April 16, 2012

Valparaiso men’s basketball head coach Bryce Drew announced today that two transfer guards have committed to join the Crusader men’s basketball program for the 2012-2013 season.  LaVonte Dority (Chicago, Ill./Edwin G. Foreman) played one and a half seasons at the University of South Florida, while Jordan Coleman (North Hollywood, Calif./Calabasas) began his collegiate career at the University of Hawai’i and spent last season playing at Southwestern Illinois College.

Dority appeared in nine games in 2011-2012 as a sophomore at USF prior to transferring, starting on seven occasions, and played in 26 games during his freshman campaign.  The 6’1” guard played his prep basketball at Chicago’s Edwin G. Foreman High, where he averaged 20 points, six assists and 4.8 rebounds per game as a senior.  One of four Division I signees on his high school team, Dority helped the Hornets to a 19-7 record his senior year in the Chicago Public League.  Dority was ranked among the top-50 point guards in the nation in his class by ESPN.com coming out of high school.

“We are very excited about the addition of LaVonte,” said Drew.  “He brings experience, toughness, and very good playmaking ability to our program.  He handles and distributes the ball very well, which should be a great asset for our offense.  Valpo fans will look forward to seeing LaVonte play.”

Coleman enrolled at Hawai’i prior to the 2010-2011 campaign and played two games for the Rainbow Warriors before opting to transfer.  The 6’4” guard played last season at Southwestern Illinois College, helping the Blue Storm to a 21-10 record while averaging 10.2 points and 1.7 steals per game.  Coleman played his high school basketball at Calabasas H.S., where he posted 19.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game as a senior while earning First Team 3A All-California Interscholastic Federation honors.  He was also named league MVP and voted Player of the Year by the Ventura County Coaches Association.

“Jordan is a great athlete who can play and defend multiple positions on the floor,” said Drew on Coleman.  “His versatility will fit in very well with how our team plays.  Jordan played for a legendary coach [Jay Harrington] last year, so he will be well prepared when he arrives on campus.  We are looking forward to the opportunity to coach him.”