Berea, KY- Berea College head basketball coach, John Hemenway, announced the 2017 recruiting class with the commitments of six incoming basketball recruits. The Mountaineers will add Mason Burgett (Dawson Springs, KY), Torell Carter (Whitesburg, KY), MJ Embree (Buffalo, KY), DeAndre Lightfoot (Chicago, IL), Travis "Hadyn" Roe (Morehead, KY) and Keonn Scott (Fort Lauderdale, FL). All these recruits are well decorated from their high school careers and strive to continue the winning tradition Coach Hemenway has created for the Berea College Basketball Program since his arrival in 2010.
The Recruits' Profiles:
Mason Burgett is a 6'3" shooting guard that played at Hopkins County Central High School in Madisonville, Kentucky. He was named All-District and All-Conference in both 2016 and 2017. Burgett averaged 12.4 points per game, shot 52% from the field and 45% from the 3-point line while leading his team to a 21-10 campaign. Burgett also demonstrated his athletic ability by being the quarterback the Storm's football team in and placed 5th in the state high jump competition.
Torell Carter is a 6'2" wing that played at Letcher Central High School in Whitesburg, Kentucky. He was named Region 14 "Player of the Year" after averaging 27.3 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 58% from the field and 75% from the free throw line. Carter scored a career-high 48 points and was a 2017 Kentucky Mr. Basketball candidate. He is Letcher Central's all-time leader in points, rebounds, free throw attempts and dunks.
MJ Embree is a 6'4" forward that played at LaRue County High School in Hodgenville, Kentucky. He led Larue to a 26-8 season and a district championship while averaging 12.5 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game. Embree was a team captain and an all-district tournament team selection while shooting 50% from the field and 74% from the free throw line. He also starred at defensive end for the LaRue County football team.
DeAndre Lightfoot is a 5'10" point guard that played three varsity seasons at Perspectives High School in Chicago, Illinois. He was a two-time Chicago Public League selection and this season averaged 12.2 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game and 2.1 steals per game. Lightfoot shot 48% from the field and 41% from the 3-point line and was named to the Chicago Sun-Times All-Area team.
Hadyn Roe is a 6'5" power forward that played at West Carter High School in Olive Hill, Kentucky. He averaged 23.0 points per game, 11.7 rebounds per game and 4.3 assists per game and was named Eastern Kentucky Conference "Player of the Year". Roe was also the 16th Region "Player of the Year", a 2017 Kentucky Mr. Basketball candidate and scored 1691 career points and grabbed 1104 career rebounds at West Carter.
Scott is a 6'0" combo guard that played at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He averaged 17.4 points per game and 5.1 assists per game while making 146 3-point field goals in just 27 games. Scott scored a career high 47 points and was an All-Broward County 2nd team selection for Cardinal Gibbons.
Coach Hemenway's Comments:
"I am extremely excited to add this talented group of recruits to our basketball program at Berea College. We targeted several guards and wing players and we certainly accomplished our goals in this recruiting class. We have added an athletic group of kids that can not only score in a variety of ways but they can also play multiple positions so we can be very flexible with line-ups and rotations. I cannot wait to work with them and our entire team starting in October and I look forward to them being in our basketball program for years to come.", Hemenway said.
