Men's Basketball: Easley Enrolled At MSU After Transfer From Montana 8/30/05 17:07Mankato, Minn. — Minnesota State men's basketball head coach Matt Margenthaler has announced Corey Easley has enrolled in classes at MSU and will eligible to play for the Mavericks during the 2005-06 season. Easley joins two recruits who signed in the fall, freshman forward Mitch Gossen and freshman guard Jake Morrow, and four more from earlier this spring, freshman guard Jesse Clark, junior guards Paris Kyles and Terrence Wynder, and freshman forward Ben Hailey, to bring the 2005-05 MSU recruiting class to seven. All signings are contingent upon admission to MSU and compliance with NCAA rules, including certification by the NCAA Clearinghouse.
"Corey is going to give us a big-time presence on the floor," said Margenthaler. "He is a great team player that will really be successful playing inside and out. I really look for Corey to be a leader on and off of the floor. He has had great experiences at the D-I level and he really needs to be a guy that wants the ball in crunch time. We are happy to have him in our program for the upcoming season."
A 6-8, 220-pound forward, Easley transferred to MSU after spending the past four seasons at the University of Montana, a NCAA Division I-member of the Big Sky Conference, including one redshirt year. During his career with the Grizzlies, Easley appeared in 79 games, making starts in 18, and averaged 3.1 points per game and 2.8 boards per outing. He also played a part in Montana qualifying for the NCAA National Tournament after capturing the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Last year, Easley posted career-highs in nearly offensive category including scoring (4.6 ppg), rebounding (2.8 rpg) and assists (22).
Minnesota State set a school record for victories last season with its 24-8 final record and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the third time in school history, and the first time since 1975-76. The Mavericks will open the 2005-06 season on Tuesday, Nov. 15, with the regular season opener at Winona State.
2005-06 Minnesota State Men's Basketball Signees
Name Pos. Jr. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School/Previous School
Jesse Clark G Fr. 6-0 160 Sioux Falls, S.D./O'Gorman
Corey Easley F Sr. 6-8 220 Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Rosemount/
University of Montana
Mitch Gossen F Fr. 6-7 210 Mankato, Minn./Mankato East
Ben Hailey F Fr. 6-6 195 Brown Deer, Wis./Whitefish Bay Dominican
Paris Kyles G Jr. 6-2 185 Park Center, Minn./Park Center/
Minneapolis Community & Technical College
Jake Morrow G Fr. 6-4 185 Wild Rose, Wis./Wild Rose
Terrence Wynder G Jr. 6-3 185 Pensacola, Fla./Woodham/
Daytona Beach Community College
