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ULM Basketball Adds JUCO Teammates to Recruiting Class

ULM Basketball Adds JUCO Teammates to Recruiting Class

Men's Basketball Apr 16
MONROE, La. – ULM men's basketball has added Clarendon (Texas) College teammates Russell Harrison, a 6-foot-7 forward, and Elijah Gonzales, a 5-10 guard, to its 2020 recruiting class, according to an announcement made Thursday, April 16 by Warhawk head coach Keith Richard.
 
Led by Coach Isaac Fontenot-Amedee, Clarendon College posted its best record in school history, finishing the 2019-20 season at 29-3, winning both the Western Junior College Athletic Conference (14-2) and NJCAA Region V Championships while qualifying for its first-ever appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament before COVID-19 forced cancellation.
 
"Russell is a natural scorer, who gets the ball in the basket in a variety of ways," Richard said. "Elijah is a true point guard, who makes everyone around him better. We have a need for both of them, and we're really excited that they are joining our program."
 
Harrison, who earned first-team NJCAA Division I All-America honors as a sophomore, is ranked among the nation's Top 10 prospects (No. 7) by JucoRecruiting.com. He also was named WJCAC Newcomer of the Year and Player of the Year as well as NJCAA Region V Player of the Year.
 
Harrison, who led the Bulldogs in both scoring (18.3 points per game) and rebounding (8.2 pg.) last season, scored in double figures in 27 of 30 starts, including 13 20-point games. He averaged 19.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in conference games. Harrison collected double-figure rebounds in 13 games, recording 12 double-doubles. He shot 47 percent (190-404) from the field, including 42 percent (77-185) from 3-point range, and 75 percent (93-124) from the free-throw line. Harrison also was credited with 51 assists and 34 steals.
 
He scored 33 points at Collin College, hitting 11-of-19 field-goal attempts, including 5-of-11 3-pointers, and 6-of-7 free-throw attempts, to go along with five assists and four steals. Harrison netted a season-high 34 points against Frank Phillips College, connecting on 13-of-20 shots from the floor, including 6-of-10 3s, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw stripe.
 
Harrison began his collegiate career at NAIA Wayland Baptist in Plainview, Texas, where he averaged 14.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a freshman in 2016-17. He posted double figures in 20 games, including six 20-point efforts, and three double-doubles.
 
The Lubbock, Texas, native was a three-time all-district selection at Monterey High School where he earned first-team honors as a senior.
 
Gonzales averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game as sophomore at Clarendon College while earning first-team All-WJCAC and first-team NJCAA Region V honors. His 209 assists ranked fifth in the NJCAA. He posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly 4-to-1. Gonzales also led the Bulldogs with 61 steals.
 
He averaged 12.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 8.3 assists in conference play.
 
Gonzales scored in double figures in 19 of 30 starts, including three 20-point games. He posted double figures in his last six games, averaging 18.8 points down the stretch. Gonzales shot 48 percent from the field (122-246), including 34 percent (32-95) from behind the 3-point arc, and 71 percent (73-103) from the free-throw line. He tallied double-digit assists 10 times, including five games in a row during a late-season stretch. Gonzales recorded eight double-doubles (points and assists).
 
He set season highs for points (26) and assists (10) at Odessa College, hitting 7-of-10 field-goal attempts, including 2-of-4 3-pointers, and 10-of-11 free-throw attempts. Gonzales scored 22 points and matched his season-high with 10 assists against Western Texas College. He made 9-of-12 shots from the floor, including 1-of-3 3s, and all five free-throw attempts and finished with 24 points against Temple College.
 
Gonzales started 20 of 29 games as a freshman at St. Peter's University in 2017-18 and averaged 6.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. His 87 assists led the team. Gonzales scored in double figures nine times, including a season-high 16 points at Fairfield (6-of-10 FG shooting). He registered his first career double-double against Siena with 10 points and a season-high 10 assists.
 
Following his freshman year, Gonzales transferred to Western Oregon University where he redshirted in 2018-19.
 
A native of Portland, Oregon, Gonzales led Clackamas High School to three-straight conference championships. He was selected Oregon Class 6A Player of the Year for 2016-17 after averaging 25.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 3.9 steals while leading the Cavaliers (24-5) to the state championship game. Gonzales connected on 9-of-16 shots for the field, including three 3-pointers, and 19-of-22 free-throw attempts to finish with 40 points in a semifinal victory over West Linn. As a senior, he also was named Mt. Hood Conference Player of the Year.
 
Harrison and Gonzales join four high school seniors, who inked National Letters of Intent during the early signing period last November: 6-6 forward D'Marcus Hall from Calvary Baptist in Shreveport, Louisiana; 6-8 forward Thomas Howell from St. Mary's in Natchitoches, La.; 6-4 guard Zaakir Sawyer from Horn High school in Mesquite, Texas; and 6-3 guard Elijah Tate from Madison Prep in Baton Rouge, La.
 
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