Wilmath transfers from UALR, inks with Lyon College basketball team
BATESVILLE, Ark. – Former Searcy High School standout and University of Arkansas at Little Rock player Casey Wilmath is transferring to Lyon College and will join first-year head coach Chad Tapp on the Scots’ squad this fall, the coach stated.
Wilmatch, a 6-2, 163-pound guard, was a three-time first team all-conference selection at Class 6A Searcy. He averaged 16.6 points per game, to go along with 4.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals as a senior in 2010-11. He helped the Lions to advance to the Elite Eight of the Arkansas State Tournament that year.
Casey, the son of Lisa and Jeffrey Wilmath, attended UALR in 2011-12, but was redshirted. He played in two games last season as a RS-freshman, scoring three points in more than 10 minutes against University of Tennessee-Martin in the season opener and also getting on the floor against Louisiana Tech.
Wilmath joins a Lyon College squad that graduated only one senior off of last season’s 9-20 team that qualified for the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Postseason Tournament. The Scots are now under the direction of Tapp, who will lead Lyon after three successful seasons at Indiana University South Bend. He led the Titans to the institution’s first back-to-back winning seasons in school history and led them to their first 20-win season (20-12) in 2012-13.
Lyon College opens the 2013-14 on Oct. 29 in Lookout Point, Missouri, taking on College of the Ozarks.
Hot-shooting Widders brings offense, rebounding to Lyon College basketball team
A two-time Arkansas Class 5A All-State player who led his team deep into the basketball playoffs the past two seasons, Alma High School graduate Brock Widders has signed a letter-of-intent to continue his playing career with Lyon College.
Widders, who led the Airedales to combined 45-12 (.790) record the past two seasons, finished high school with a 3.96 GPA and ranked 21st out of 231 in his graduating class of 2013.
As a junior he led Alma to the Class 5A State Quarterfinals, with a 22-5 record. The Airedales were the Class 5A West Champions, winning the Russellville Tournament and the Airedale Classic.
Widders was named Class 5A West All-Conference, 5A All-State and he was also named to the 5A State All-Tournament team. The 5A West All-Conference player averaged 14.6 points per game, hitting 51% of his field goals, including 59% of his two-point attempts and 38% of his three-pointers. He made 74% of his free throws, while pulling down 6.0 rebounds a game and dished out 3.0 assists. He finished the year by being named to the Fort Smith Radio Group All-Area team.
During his senior season in 2012-13, Widders improved his scoring average to 19.6 points per game as helped Alma to a 23-7 record and a trip to the Class 5A State Championship game. The Airedales once again won the Russellville Tournament and Airedale Classic, while taking the title in the Charles B. Dyer Classic, as well.
Widders was the Southwest Times Record Player of the Year as a senior, hitting 54% of his field goals, including 62% of his two-point field goals and 41% of his three-point shots. He converted 73% of his free throws and averaged 5.5 boards and handed out 2.4 assists.
He was the Fort Smith Radio Group Player of the Year and made the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star team after earning 5A All-State, 5A West All-Conference and being named to the Class 5A State All-Tournament team. Widders was also named to the Channel 5 News All-Area squad.
Brock is the son of Pat and Pam Widders of Alma.
Lyon College adds pair of double-digit scorers to squad
Lyon College basketball coach Chad Tapp has announced the addition of Brevard College transfer Filip Gujanicic and John A. Logan College transfer James Jones to his 2013-14 squad, as the recruiting season winds down.
Gujanicic is a 6-7, 195-lb. junior from Belgrade Serbia, who played high school basketball at Prauno Poslovna Skola Beograd, graduating in 2011.
As a true freshman at NCAA Division II Brevard, he played in 22 games, scoring 26 points (1.2 ppg), connecting on 12-of-23 field goals (52.2%). He shot 50% (2-of-4) from the charity stripe, pulled down 15 rebounds, six coming on the offensive end. He also added two assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots in 2011-12.
During his sophomore season for the Tornados in 2012-13, Gujanicic averaged 16.1 minutes in 25 games off the bench. He scored 68 points (2.7 ppg), dropping in 27-of-59 (45.8%) of his field goals and 7-of-12 (58.3%) of his shots from the line. He tallied 45 rebounds, with 11 coming on the offensive end. He also tallied 31 assists, five steals and 11 blocked shots. Gujanicic received the Award for Meritorious Academic Performance while attending Brevard.
The son of Zoran Gujanicic, Filip averaged 15 points, 3.5 blocked shots and eight rebounds per game in high school.
Jones, a 6-3 guard, was a four-year letterman in basketball at Herrin (Ill.) High School, while participating as part of the baseball program during his freshman year.
A member of the 2008-09 regional champions, Jones averaged 14 points per game as a freshman, 15 ppg as a sophomore, 11 ppg as a junior and 13 ppg as a senior for the Tigers.
The son of Kim Jones, James received the Gil Tope Scholarship Award in high school.
He went on to play college basketball at John A. Logan Community College in Carterville, Ill., for the past two seasons. While playing as a sophomore for the Vols, Jones broke the record for most consecutive and most three pointers in one game. He was on the vice President’s List and Community Honor Roll.
Pair of all-state high school all-staters look to gain court time with Lyon College basketball team
Two former high school all-state basketball players – one from Missouri and the other from Arkansas – who keyed their respective team’s run toward state championships, will be united on the collegiate court this season when Norwood (Mo.) High School’s Riley Jenkins and West Side Greers Ferry (Ark.) High School’s Logan Bailey signed letters of intent to join the Lyon College men’s basketball program this fall.
Both enter the collegiate ranks with impressive resumes. They will now turn their attention to college ball and see what it’s like to play in the American Midwest Conference for the Scots.
Jenkins was a four-year starter for the Pirates, averaging 21.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals in a high school career that included three Missouri State Tournament berths. The Class of 2012 Valedictorian (with a 3.98 GPA) threw in 24.1 points per contest as a senior, adding 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.8 steals. He was also a 41% career shooter from behind the three-point arc.
The 6-1, 170-pound guard led Norwood to an overall record of 82-32 (.719) over his high school career, including four straight 20-win seasons. He is the all-time Norwood scoring champion, throwing in 2,483 points. He finished his high school career by leading the Pirates to a 27-3 record and a berth in the Class 2 State Quarterfinals.
Jenkins was the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Class 2 Player of the Year in 2011-12. He was also a four-time All-Summit League choice, in addition to making the MOBCA All-State team three times and the Associated Press All-State squad twice.
He helped NHS win the Cabool Holiday Tournament twice and three MSHSAA Class 2 District titles.
The son of Morris and Janine Jenkins of Norwood, Mo., Riley also has an NCAA Division II National Championship ring after being part of the Drury University squad that captured the national championship in March with a win over Metro State in Atlanta. He played in seven games for the Panthers as a freshman this past season and will transfer to Lyon College as a sophomore.
Bailey was a three-sport athlete for West Side Greers Ferry, lettering four years in basketball, three years in cross country (9th-11th) and one year in baseball (12th).
The son of Victor and Traci Bailey of Greers Ferry, Logan averaged 18.0 points per game during his high school career, dropping in 20 points per game as a junior and 18 points a game as a senior. He also averaged 19 points a game as a freshman and 15 points as a sophomore. He combined that with a 6.0 assist average in his junior and senior years, while pulling down eight rebounds per contest in 2012-13.
Bailey was an Arkansas Class 1A All-State basketball player his junior and senior seasons and an all-star basketball game participant. He was all-conference in all four years of high school and all-region his junior and senior years.
Courtesy Lyon College Department of Athletics