FAU Athletic Communications
BOCA RATON, Fla. – (June 29, 2018) – Florida Atlantic University Head Men’s Basketball Coach Dusty May has announced the signing of 10 student-athletes in his first recruiting class. The class includes four incoming freshmen, three junior college transfers, two undergraduate transfers and a graduate transfer.
Of his initial signing class, May declared, “Overall, this class will add length, athleticism, the ability to play multiple positions and especially shooting.” He added, “It’s also a balanced class in terms of experience. That should give our roster some continuity in the future. We wanted to add depth to our roster and we feel like we’ve hit a homerun with this class. All of these young men come from winning programs. We want to create a culture of success. The best way to do that is to bring in recruits that know what it takes to win and we feel like we’ve done that with this class.”
Michael Forrest is a six-foot guard who will come to FAU from nearby Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach, where he led the Tigers to their fifth state title in seven years while averaging 26 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals per game as a senior. He was named Athlete of the Year by the Broward County Athletic Association.
“Michael Forrest is a local player who we focused on immediately after getting the job,” said May. “He comes from a great program that has won at a high level and he was a big part of their success. He scores, he defends, he’s going to be a very good player for FAU for the next four years.”
Jaylen Sebree is a 6-7 small forward who played his high school ball at Christian County in Kentucky where he averaged 16.9 points and 8.5 rebounds as a senior. Sebree spent last year at IMG Academy in Bradenton.
“Jaylen is a smooth athlete who can make shots,” pointed out May. He does a little bit of everything. We’re keen on his potential.”
Kevaughn Ellis is a 6-4 guard, originally from Hamilton, Canada, who played at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he averaged 10.4 points and 3.3 rebounds a game as a senior for the Hawks.
“Kevaughn is an athletic wing player out of another very successful program that has produced several high level college players over the last few years,” commented May. “He’s a capable shot maker and a very good defender. He’s versatile and can play multiple positions on both ends of the floor.”
Madiaw Niang is a 6’9 forward, originally from Senegal, who played at DME Sports Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida.
According to May, “Madiaw can play multiple positions. He can play on the perimeter, he can play in the post and he has a great feel for the game. We’re excited about his immediate future, and especially his long term future. He’s got a really high ceiling and he should play right away as a freshman.”
Richardson Maitre hails from Montreal, Canada by way of Indian Hills Community College. As a freshman, the 6-3 guard averaged 8.7 points, 3.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds for the Warriors, while helping them to a Region 11 title and NJCAA Tournament appearance.
“Richardson is an experienced guard who can play the point or off the ball,” remarked May. “He played at one the best programs in the country, they were ranked number one in the nation at times and he played an integral role. He wasn’t able to play this past season because of a foot injury, so he will have three years of eligibility left. Rich can do a lot of things, we’re excited for him to be part of the program.”
Everett Winchester is a 6-6 guard who will sit out the 2018-19 season under NCAA transfer rules. Winchester averaged 8.0 points and 3.8 rebounds last year while helping Wright State to a NCAA Tournament appearance as a redshirt freshman.
“Everett was looking for a change and as soon as we found that out, we immediately jumped on him,” said May. “He is a wing player with size that could do a little bit of everything and he’s a competitor and a winner. (Sitting out a year) will give him a year to get stronger and work on his game. We think he has a bright, bright future.”
Karlis Silins is a 6’11 transfer from Ole Miss, where injury limited him to just eight games at the SEC school.
“Karlis is a player of high character who will add a lot of value to our program,” May said. “He is a skilled big who brings a lot of physicality and is very comfortable with his back to the basket. He also moves well for his size which will help us a lot on the defensive end.”
Cedric Jackson is a 6’3 shooting guard originally from Orlando, Florida who spent the last two seasons at Indian River State College.
“Cedric scored at a high level (at Indian River),” noted May. “We felt that with his experience scoring the ball, he would be able to make an immediate impact.”
Aleksander Zecevic is a 6-10 post player who spent last year at San Jacinto College where he averaged 6.2 points and 5.3 rebounds a game for the Ravens, who won 19 games and advanced to the Region XIV Tournament.
“Aleksander comes to us from another very good junior college program,” stated May. “He adds size, skill and experience to what will be a young roster. We look forward to what he can bring in terms of his physicality, passing ability and scoring on the low block.”
Xavian Stapleton is a 6’7 graduate transfer from Mississippi State. He played at Louisiana Tech, where May was on the coaching staff, as a freshman before transferring to Starkville. Stapleton averaged 6.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in his two years as a Bulldog.
“We coached Xavian his freshman year and he had a great season for us,” said May. “He transferred to Mississippi State where he battled some knee injuries that slowed him down, but he’s healthy now. We couldn’t be more excited about adding him here. With his experience, his passion and his competitiveness, he’s going to be able to do a lot of things for us. He will really complement the younger guys and will show them how to work and compete at a high level.”
– FAU –
Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 3-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 50-3 victory over Akron in the 2017 CheriBundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
