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."