Rattlers Finish Recruiting Class

The Otero Men's Basketball team has finished off its 2012-13 recruiting class with the signing of three more players. These players join the previous six signees. The Rattlers lost 8 sophomores last season to graduation, and are looking at this recruiting class to give a major boost after winning the 2012 Region IX title. Head Coach Houston Reed commented, “These three guys really add to this recruiting class. We feel like we have collected a talented group of student-athletes to represent Otero. Time will tell how they will play as a collective group and what type of toughness we’ll play with. We have some returners coming back as well that we feel really good about. We are looking forward to the fall."

Chris Golden – Milwaukee, WI

Golden is a 6’2” scoring guard from Wisconsin Lutheran High School, which finished the season 16-9 and won their conference for the seventh year in a row. Chris averaged 16.4 points per game while making 49 threes.  He was selected the unanimous conference player of the year along with being selected to the all-state team. Chris was coveted by several division one schools receiving interest from Northern Colorado, Montana, Eastern Kentucky, Northern Illinois, South Dakota, amongst others. He was also recruited by Labette and Indian Hills junior colleges. Coach Reed added, “Chris can score the ball in a variety of ways. Junior college ended up being part of his journey and we are happy his choice was Otero. He scores well off the bounce, is an unselfish player and person, and has a nice offensive feel for the game. He obviously comes from a very winning and well coached program completing his package as a player."

                     

                                                                 Daniel Hield, Freeport, Bahamas

Hield is a 6’10” 300 pound post player from the Bahamas. Daniel was a reserve post player last year for Odessa College in Texas. Odessa finished the season with a 24-8 record and when there was a coaching change Hield looked to transfer schools. Daniel has a definite presence in the post. He is big, has nice hands and feet, and moves well for being as big as he is. He will have one year of eligibility at Otero. “We are excited about having big Daniel next season. He will give us some added experience in the post after losing two sophomores in the post last season. There are not a lot of players in our region with Daniel’s size. He will add to our depth and give us an added weapon in the post to utilize. We are looking forward to working with him. He’s a great kid and will fit our culture at Otero,” Reed stated.

                                                     Kentwan Smith, Freeport, Bahamas

Smith is a 6’8, 205 pound forward originally from the Bahamas. Smith spent last season at division one Louisiana-Lafayette in the Sun Belt conference. He prepped at Piney Woods in Mississippi where they won a state championship his senior year. In 2011, he was rated as a top 15 prospect in the state of Mississippi. Smith decided to transfer to Otero to find a better fit. Coach Reed had this to say, “Kentwan plays facing the basket. He will give us some length and athleticism, along with some experience in the wing position. He saw some playing time last season at a high level. He has a great work ethic and I strongly believe his best basketball is still in front of him. We look forward to continuing his growth at Otero in his year of eligibility here."

Rattlers Reload for 2012-2013

Coming off an unprecedented championship run, the Rattlers have added a deep recruiting class that will try to replace the 8 sophomores that were lost to graduation. Head Coach Houston Reed is pleased to announce this first list of future Otero Junior College basketball players...the rest of this year's class will be released shortly.

Alex Padgett – a 6’3” guard from Fruita Monument , CO. Alex was part of three Southwestern Conference championships in his career, only losing one conference game in his playing career. The Wildcats finished the season with a 21-4 record. Alex averaged 17.7 ppg and 3.4 apg as a senior earning recognition as a 1st team all-conference selection, and he was also selected as an all-tournament player in every tournament the Wildcats played in this season. Alex was also recently selected as Kiwanas Student of the month. Alex also received recruitment from Colorado Mesa University, Metro State, and UCCS. “Alex embodies the type of player and person we want as a student-athlete at Otero. His improvement as we watched him develop in high school makes us believe he can immediately impact our program and will earn a division one scholarship from Otero. We ultimately were attracted to him by his work ethic, character, unselfishness and obviously his ability to play,” head coach Houston Reed commented.

Nick Ongarato – a 6’3” guard from Broomfield, CO. Broomfield High School advanced to the 4A Final Four and completed the season with a 24-2 record. Nick averaged 12.2 ppg, and 2.3 apg, making 88 threes this season earning him first team all-conference and all-state honorable mention. He was also selected as an all-state football player. Nick also received recruitment from Eastern Wyoming, Colorado State-Pueblo, and several junior colleges in California where he has family living. “We have been recruiting Nick for quite awhile. He’s a winner. Broomfield was one of the best teams in the state this year large in part to his contributions. Nick comes up with big plays at opportune times; rather if it’s hitting a shot, pulling a rebound or getting the ball where it’s suppose to go. His toughness and winning attitude makes him a great fit here.” head coach Houston Reed commented.

Mando Marshall – a 6’5” forward from Las Cruces, NM. Las Cruces High School finished the season with a 24-5 record qualifying for the state tournament. Mando averaged 16 ppg and 7.0 rpg, 4.1 apg, shooting 60 percent from the floor. He was named district 3-5A player of the year, was a first team all-state selection as a senior, and selected to play in the prestigious New Mexico North-South all-star game. He was selected as a first team all-district player three straight years. Mando received recruitment from many division one schools throughout the year. He also was recruited by Cochise and Northeastern before choosing Otero. “We fell in love with Mando when we set eyes on him. He has great athletic ability. He has a grit and toughness to him we really like. We really like his ability to finish around the rim and play in transition. Coach Benjamin has done a great job with him and we are excited to work with him and watch him continue to develop his game and grow as a player,” head coach Houston Reed commented.

James Healy – a 6’3” shooter from Cibola High School in Albuquerque, NM. Cibola High School finished the season with a 20-7 record spending the year as a top ranked team. James averaged 21 ppg, shooting 43 percent from three on the season. James was recognized as district 1-5A player of the year, 2nd team all-state, and 1st team all-metro. James maintained a 4.0 grade point average throughout all four years of high school. He was also recruited by Cochise, E. New Mexico, and University of South Dakota. “James shoots the eyes out of the basketball. He has deep range and a pure stroke. He has a great feel for the game and is great and reading screens and making basketball choices. He’s a high character kid that has a second to none work ethic which makes us feel like he’s a great fit,” head coach Houston Reed commented.

Derek Hillyer – a 6’9” post from Bayfield, CO. Though Bayfield had an up and down season, Derek was a solid contributor throughout the season. The post from Bayfield averaged 15.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg, and 2.5 blocks per game for the Wolverines. Derek was recognized as first team all-conference player. He also received recruiting attention from Fort Lewis and Western State. “We believe that Derek’s best basketball is still in front of him. He has a lot of tools that with polish can make him a high level player at the collegiate level. He comes from a strong basketball background. We are excited to see him develop and grow”, commented head coach Houston Reed.

Tyler Shetterly -6’6” post/forward prepped at Washington High School in Sioux Falls, SD. The Warriors finished the season with a 15-9 record making it to the final four in the state tournament. Tyler averaged 13.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg, and 2 blocks per game earning him first team all-conference and all-city honors. He received recruiting interest from Augustana, Northwestern Iowa, and Upper Iowa before choosing Otero. “Every guy we talked to says Tyler plays his tail off. He has the ability to score and finish one on one on the block. He can stretch you out to 15 feet with his jumper. We were drawn to him by his intangibles, sealing in the post, running the floor, and constantly pursing rebounds,” said head coach Houston Reed.