April 7, 1999
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State men's basketball program has added two student-athletes in its spring signing class, as high school standouts Kyle Dodd (Brea, Calif./Brea Olinda High School) and Justin Allen (Malta, Ill./Malta H.S.) have joined the five-man recruiting class from the fall.
"The signings of Kyle and Justin adds to a class that can do a lot of good things for next year's team and this program," says Rob Evans, who will begin his second year at ASU in 1999-2000. "We have a lot of flexibility with the seven newcomers. Kyle Dodd is an explosive backcourt player with a lot of ability who really likes to compete. He'll need to get stronger, but that will come with time and with his work ethic he'll work to improve physically in the weight room. He can help us at point guard immediately.
"Justin Allen is a tremendous shooter who really understands the game. You need guys on this level who are pure shooters, and we were able to get one in Justin. His addition is crucial, and we look forward to watching him develop. The three-point shot is a big part of college basketball, and we expect Justin to give us that dimension.
"The best part of this recruiting class is the diversity and the flexibility. Our fans will enjoy watching these kids in the next four years. We want to accomplish great things at Arizona State, and we feel with this class we made great strides in having a solid squad next year and an even better program in the future. We are thrilled about our first full recruiting class and what they can accomplish at Arizona State, both in the Pac-10 and on the national level."
The spring signing period runs from April 7-May 15.
ASU 1998-99 MEN'S BASKETBALL SPRING SIGNEES QUICK BIOGRAPHIES
Justin Allen, 6-7, Malta High School, Malta, Ill.
Malta High School's all-time leading scorer with 1,773 points...averaged 26.7 points, 15.0 rebounds and 4.7 blocks for the 23-4 Mustangs in his senior year...an excellent shooter...the first player in Malta history to sign with a Division I school...averaged 27.0 points in junior year...also an outstanding soccer goalie who earned all-conference honors and entered this year as the school's record holder with 27 shutouts...shot better than 80 percent from the free throw line in his prep career...coached in high school by Shawn Byers...DeKalb County's first small-school star to sign with a major college since Kenny Hotopp signed with Loyola Marymount in 1993...posted a 3.83 grade point average in high school...shot better than 40 percent from the three-point stripe in his junior year...born July 30, 1981...a four-year starter...attended and made all-star teams at the Future Stars, Metro Index and Midwest Invitational Basketball Camps...also involved in Spanish Club, National Honor Society and Yearbook in high school...class president in sophomore year.
Kyle Dodd, 6-0, Brea Olinda High School, Brea, Calif.
Extremely quick and athletic point guard...excellent shooter and a tremendous penetrator...published reports have Dodd with a 40-inch vertical leap, and that was on display at the Pumps West All-Star Camp last July when he won a dunk contest...led high school squad to a 27-2 record and was a first-team All-Orange County selection by the Los Angeles Times...averaged 18 points and nine assists in senior season...also shot 51.3 percent from the field...played in the Adidas Big Time Tourney in the summer of 1998...coached in Las Vegas by former Oklahoma State point guard Doug Gottlieb...heavily recruited by Pepperdine and Utah during the 1998-99 season...during junior season, Dodd played behind current Wyoming guard Chris McMillan.
ASU 1998-99 MEN'S BASKETBALL FALL SIGNEES QUICK BIOGRAPHIES
Donnell Knight, 6-8/200/F, Corona del Sol H.S., Tempe, Ariz.
Named to the 40-man Parade Magazine All-America team...a consensus top-40 player among all recruiting outlets...#33 according to Bob Gibbons All-Star Sports Report...led Corona del Sol Aztecs to 26-7 record and the 5A semifinals in 1998-99, where it lost to Tanner Shell's Mountain View squad...averaged 18.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and a school-record 4.2 blocks as Corona won the 5A Central Region Championship...the state Player of the Year by Phoenix Metro Basketball Magazine...first-team All-Arizona according to the Arizona Republic...an excellent passer...a member of the Tribune Newspapers All-East Valley squad...named MVP at the NBA Players Association camp in the summer of 1998 in New Jersey...cracked the top 15 at the Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis as well...rated as the eighth-best small forward in the nation by CNN/Sports Illustrated...one of Arizona's 12 players listed in USA Today's 1998-99 preseason state-by-state listing...the ninth-best prospect on the west coast, according to the Orange County Register...averaged 13 points, 12 boards and four blocks for St. Mary's High School in 1997-98...the 37th-best prospect in the country according to Blue Chip Illustrated ...the 15th-best player in the country according to Game Plan Sports Scouting Service...rated as the 14th-best player at the Nike All-American Camp by Clark Francis of Hoop Scoop...a Street & Smith's high honorable mention All-American... the 19th-best player in the nation according to Lindy's College Basketball...the 17th-best frontcourt player in the nation according to Dick Vitale's College Basketball Yearbook...the 18th-best player in the nation according to Full Court magazine.
Chris Osborne, 6-9/225/F, Westchester H.S., Los Angeles, Calif.
One of California's 34 players listed in USA Today's preseason state-by-state listing...a Street & Smith's honorable mention All-American...strong physical player who is a great rebounder...garnered 73 points in the Orange County Register's "Fabulous 15" rating system, putting him as a second-team selection and the 29th-best prospect on the west coast.
Shawn Redhage, 6-7/210/F, Lincoln East H.S., Lincoln, Neb.
Named Nebraska Player of the Year (honorary captain) and Class A first-team all-state pick by the Omaha World Herald...also named Mr. Basketball by the Omaha Convention and Visitor's Bureau...Prep Athlete of the Year by Huskerland Magazine...Lincoln Journal Star first-team All-State...averaged 21.0 points per game in senior year...missed the first game of his senior season with pneumonia and then played in the final three games of the year in the state tournament with a broken little finger...school's career leader for rebounds (554), assists (315) and blocks (235)...second in points with 1,206...ranked 85th according to Bob Gibbons All-Star Sports Report...one of Nebraska's 10 players listed in USA Today's preseason state-by-state listing...averaged 22.1 points and nine rebounds per game in 1997-98...a top student-athlete...a Street & Smith's high honorable mention All-American...father, Jerry, is working in Chandler...chose ASU because of the coaching and ASU's engineering school...mother's name is Elizabeth...honorable mention All-America pick by USA Today and Street & Smith's...coached in high school by Ed McPherren.
Tanner Shell, 6-5/205/G, Mountain View H.S., Mesa, Ariz.
Tribune Newspapers All-East Valley Player of the Year...1999 All-Arizona by Phoenix Metro Basketball Magazine...played most of senior season on an ankle that required surgery...led squad to its second straight state championship...team beat Tucson Salpointe 66-54 in the state title game at America West Arena on Feb. 27...led team in scoring at 16.0 points per game and also added six rebounds per contest...had 22 points in one half against Phoenix Brophy in quarterfinals of 5A Tournament...in 1997-98 and 1998-99 with Shell as a starter, Mountain View won two state titles and had a 63-7 mark...second-team All-Arizona according to the Arizona Republic...ranked 141st according to Bob Gibbons All-Star Sports Report...one of Arizona's 12 players listed in USA Today's 1998-99 preseason state-by-state listing...garnered 63 points in the Orange County Register's "Fabulous 15" rating system, putting him as a third-team selection...an outstanding student...tough defensive player...teams went 29-6, 34-1 and 28-1 the past three seasons...considered one of the top shooting guards on the west coast...averaged 10 points and six rebounds for the Class 5A state champs in 1997-98...high school teammate of Sun Devil (on mission) Kenny Crandall and Sun Devil grid iron standout Todd Heap...son of former BYU and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Todd Shell.
Tommy Smith, 6-8/190/F, North H.S., Phoenix, Ariz.
1999 All-Arizona by Phoenix Metro Basketball Magazine...rated No. 115 according to Bob Gibbons All-Star Sports Report..."Best of the Rest" selection according to the Arizona Republic...one of Arizona's 12 players listed in USA Today's 1998-99 preseason state-by-state listing...extremely athletic local product...garnered 65 points in the Orange County Register's "Fabulous 15" rating system, putting him as a third-team selection...averaged 10 points and five boards in junior season, despite having back problems...came on strong in 1998 Class 5A state tournament, averaging 22 points per contest.