Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Valparaiso University men's basketball head coach Homer Drew announced that Urule Igbavboa of Tartan High School in St. Paul, Minn.; Brandon McPherson of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis; and Arden Skoglund of Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minn. have signed national letters of intent to attend VU and play basketball.

Igbavboa, a 6'8", 215-pound forward, averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in helping Tartan to its seventh straight Elite Eight finish in Minnesota's state tournament. A lefthanded shooter, Igbavboa is a two-time all-conference selection. Also a wide receiver on Tartan's football team, Igbavboa will join current Crusader Dan Mullen, a walk-on freshman who graduated from Tartan last year.

?Urule plays aggressively and he can step out and play the perimeter, as well as post up," Drew said.

McPherson, a 6'1" combination-guard, helped Lawrence North capture Indiana's Class 4A state championship as a junior. As the starting shooting guard, McPherson averaged 8.3 ppg., 3.2 rpg., and 2.1 assists, while shooting 53 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range in 2003-04.

?Brandon can play any spot on the perimeter as he has great quickness and sees the floor well," Drew said. ?He's an excellent passer who has played with an outstanding team at Lawrence North."

Skoglund, a 6'10", 210-pound center, averaged 11.5 ppg. and 6.5 rpg. as Hopkins finished with a 27-2 record and was runner-up for the Minnesota 4A state title last season.

?Arden is very mobile and intelligent," Drew said. ? He has plans to enroll in Valparaiso University's Christ College (honors program) and also excels in music."

Skoglund hails from the same high school as former Valpo player Jared Nuness, who was a member of the Crusaders' 1998 team that advanced to the Sweet 16.

?We are delighted to have Arden, Brandon and Urule make commitments to our basketball family," Drew said. ?All three possess the attributes of character, academics and athletic ability."