University of Memphis Athletics
Memphis Basketball Announces Early Signees
Nov 13, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 13, 2009
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The loud cheers you here from the Bluff City are those from Tiger Nation, as the University of Memphis basketball program announced the signing of five student-athletes for the 2010 class on Friday. Antonio Barton, Will Barton, Chris Crawford, Joe Jackson and Hippolyte Tsafack all signed with the Tigers, becoming a part of head coach Josh Pastner's first class at Memphis.
The following are short bios on the signees and Pastner's comments on the class:
The Tigers' 2010 class is ranked No. 2 by Scout.com, No. 2 The Sporting News, No. 2 by Rivals.com, No. 2 by MaxPreps.com, No. 3 by ESPN.com and No. 3 by PrepStars.com.
Coach Pastner on the signing class:
"The fans are going to thoroughly enjoy these five guys playing for their Tigers and representing the basketball program, the university and the city. All five play the right way. They play hard and compete, and they also have fun playing the game. They respect the game. The reason they love Memphis and decided to wear the Blue and Gray was because of our great fans and Memphis' outstanding basketball tradition.
"I also want to give credit to the entire staff. They did an unbelievable job and I want to recognize their efforts."
Antonio Barton/6-2/170
Baltimore, Md./Lake Clifton HS/Notre Dame Prep
Playing his final season of high school basketball in 2009-10 at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass. ... In 2008-09, teamed with his brother, Will, to lead Lake Clifton High School to a perfect 28-0 record and the Maryland 3A state championship ... The Lakers defeated Friendly 75-50 for the title ... Lake Clifton was ranked No. 25 nationally, according to MaxPreps.com ... Averaged 15.6 points, 7.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds during the Lakers' title run in 2008-09 ... Named to the 2009 Baltimore Sun All-Metro second team ... Rated among the top point guards in the 2010 class ... Prior to his year at Lake Clifton, attended City College High School in Baltimore and National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Md.
Pastner on Antonio Barton:
"One of the reasons I love Antonio is that he plays so hard every possession. He's a competitor. Antonio is a very good athlete. He is quick with the ball, and gets after the opponent on the defensive end of the floor. Antonio's a good player and his best days on the court are ahead of him."
Will Barton/6-6/170
Baltimore, Md./Lake Clifton HS/Brewster Academy
A consensus top-15 recruit ... Rated the No.3 player in the nation by MaxPreps.com, No. 5 by ESPN.com, No. 8 by The Sporting News and Scout.com and No. 10 by PrepStars.com ... Ranked the nation's No. 1 shooting guard by Scout.com ... Rivals.com ranked him the No. 11 overall player and the nation's No. 2 shooting guard ... Played in the 2009 Boost Mobile Elite, one of the nation's premier elite high school hoops events, in August ... Earned "standout player" recognition at the King City Classic, which was a part of the LeBron James Skills Academy, this past summer, according to ESPN.com ... Named MVP of the I-95 Elite Challenge (Baltimore vs. Washington, D.C., high school all-stars) in May ... Netted 18 points in the I-95 Challenge ... Playing his final season of high school basketball in 2009-10 at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. ... In 2008-09, teamed with his brother, Antonio, to lead Lake Clifton High School to a perfect 28-0 record and the Maryland 3A state championship ... Netted a game-high 20 points in the state title victory over Friendly ... Averaged 18.7 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists during the Lakers' title run in 2008-09 ... Named the 2009 All-Baltimore City Player of the Year by The Baltimore Sun ... Also selected to the Sun's All-Metro first team ... Prior to his year at Lake Clifton, attended City College High School in Baltimore and National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Md.
Pastner on Will Barton:
"One of the words I use when talking about Will is relentless. Will plays hard all the time. He is a tremendous rebounder. Will fits in so well with this class because, like all the others, he gives all-out effort all the time. He competes and loves to win. Will is a high, high energy guy."
Chris Crawford/6-4/185
Memphis, Tenn./Sheffield HS
A top-75 prospect ... Ranked the No. 66 player in the country by Rivals.com ... Rivals.com also ranked him the No. 16 shooting guard in the nation ... Ranked among top 40 shooting guards in the country by ESPN.com (No. 34) and Scout.com (No. 38) ... Playing his final year of prep basketball at Sheffield High School in Memphis in 2009-10 ... Helped lead Sheffield to an 19-15 overall record in 2008-09 ... The Knights earned a Class AA state tournament berth and advanced to the state quarterfinals ... The Class AA state tournament appearance was the first in Sheffield High School history ... Averaged 18.3 points his junior campaign to lead the Knights ... Named to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) All-State team for Class AA ... A member of the Memphis Magic Elite AAU team that won the national championship at the prestigious adidas Super 64 Tournament in Las Vegas this past summer ... Scored 16 points in the championship victory ... Netted the championship-winning basket in the tournament final.
Pastner on Chris Crawford:
"Chris is an outstanding shooter, one of the best in the country, but it's his overall ability that our fans will really enjoy. He is a multi-skilled guard who is equally comfortable playing with or without the ball in his hands. His talent is a direct result of his hard work and desire to compete at a high level. The Memphis community is going to love cheering on one of its own."
Joe Jackson/5-11/160
Memphis, Tenn./White Station HS
A consensus top-15 recruit ... Rated the No. 10 player in the nation by The Sporting News, No. 11 by MaxPreps.com, No. 12 by Rivals.com and PrepStars.com, No. 17 by Scout.com and No. 21 by ESPN.com ... Scout.com lists him as the No. 4 point guard in the nation, while Rivals.com and ESPN.com rank him the country's No. 5 point guard ... Playing his final year of prep basketball at White Station High School in Memphis in 2009-10 ... Helped lead the Spartans to a 31-7 overall record and a 15-1 conference mark in 2008-09 ... White Station won the 2009 Tennessee Class AAA state title ... Scored a combined 82 points (27.3 ppg) in the Spartans' three state tournament games en route to the crown ... Netted a game-high 35 points in the state title game victory over Raleigh-Egypt ... Took home Class AAA state tournament MVP honors ... Named the 2008-09 Commercial Appeal Player of the Year ... Averaged 26.2 points in 2008-09, which was the top scoring average in the Memphis area ... Earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) All-State honors for Class AAA ... As a sophomore in 2007-08, helped White Station to the Tennessee Class AAA championship game ... A member of the Memphis Magic Elite AAU team that won the national championship at the prestigious adidas Super 64 Tournament in Las Vegas this past summer .. Was named the Super 64's Most Valuable Player ... Scored a game-high 20 points in the championship victory.
Pastner on Joe Jackson:
"Joe is a tough, hard-nosed player who is an absolute winner. He calls himself Joe `Hard-Working' Jackson, and it's the truth. He's rolls up his sleeves and puts the work hat and work boots on and goes to work every day and night. Joe is one of the quickest guards in the country. He possesses great speed and great quickness. Every time he plays, he leaves every ounce of energy on the floor. I like to use the phrase "make multiple plays per possession" to describe some players, and Joe is one of those. He's as tough of a competitor as they come at this level."
Hippolyte Tsafack/6-8/230
Cameroon/The Miller School (Charlottesville, Va.)
Name is pronounced: ip - po - LEET/CHA - fack ... Originally from Cameroon and moved to the United States in 2007 ... Playing his final season at prep basketball at The Miller School in Charlottesville, Va., in 2009-10 ... Rated the No.5 "sleeper" of the July 2009 recruiting period, according to nationalhoopsreport.blogspot.com ... Ranked the No. 20 center in the nation by Scout.com ... ESPN.com rated him among the country's top power forwards ... In 2008-09 as a junior, averaged 11.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots for The Miller School ... Helped lead the Mavericks to a 26-3 overall record in 2008-09 ... The Miller School won its first Virginia Independent School (VIS) Division 2 state championship in 2008-09 ... Scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in the Mavericks' 69-61 state title game victory over Atlantic Shores Christian ... Played summer AAU ball for Albany City Rocks.
Pastner on Hippolyte Tsafack:
"Hippolyte is a really good kid, and the city of Memphis is going to take to him. He is a humble, young man, and he appreciates his opportunities. Hippolyte is a good athlete who will give us an inside presence. He plays hard with a high motor all the time. Hippolyte fits in with the vision we have for the program. He's a great rebounder who plays the game above the rim. Hippolyte scores a lot of his points just by out-working his opponent - running the floor, offensive rebounding and making those second- and third-effort plays. He competes, competes, competes, and that's what our fans will love about him."
