State schools sign two recruits apiece

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma's Jeff Capel and Oklahoma State's Sean Sutton started to assemble their first recruiting classes Wednesday on the opening day of college basketball's signing period.

Wednesday, November 8th 2006, 9:58 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma's Jeff Capel and Oklahoma State's Sean Sutton started to assemble their first recruiting classes Wednesday on the opening day of college basketball's signing period.

Oklahoma added three new players while the state's other three NCAA Division I schools, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Oral Roberts, each got letters of intent from two players to open the signing period that runs through Nov. 15.

Sutton, in his first season replacing father Eddie Sutton as coach of the Cowboys, inked Arkansas high-school standout James Anderson and guard Nick Sidorakis from Jenks.

``I had some hard choices and went with the two schools that I felt more comfortable with. It came down to Kansas and Oklahoma State. The one that I thought was the best is Oklahoma State,'' said Anderson, a 6-foot-6 forward, at a news conference at his high school.

Anderson averaged 31 points and 12 rebounds last season at Junction City (Ark.) High School. Sidorakis, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, averaged 14.2 points as a junior.

Joining the Sooners will be two in-state players _ Blake Griffin from Oklahoma Christian School and Cade Davis from Elk City _ and guard Tony Neysmith from Norcross (Ga.) High School.

Griffin and his brother Taylor, who's entering his sophomore season at Oklahoma, helped their high school team _ coached by their father _ win three straight state titles. Blake Griffin averaged 21 points and 13 rebounds last season and drew interest from Duke, Florida, Kansas and other national powers.

Neysmith, a 6-foot-5 point guard, averaged 9.2 points and 3.4 assists last sesaon as Norcross won Georgia's 5A state championship.

They won't be the first recruits for Capel, who added Bobby Maze in June after his hiring this spring, but they'll be part of his first full class.

Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik signed two players as part of his third recruiting class for the Golden Hurricane: Justin Butler, a 6-foot-8 forward from Massanutten (Va.) Military Academy, and Steven Idlet, from Prairie Grove (Ark.) High School.

Butler averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds as a senior at the Tulsa School for Science and Technology last season.

``I'm pleased that Justin is spending the year at prep school where it will be a great learning experience for him and he will play against great competition night in and night out,'' Wojcik said. ``He's a post player with the ability to shoot the basketball. Justin is very strong and provides a rebounding presence in the post.''

Idlet is the younger brother of Dana Idlet, a junior on Tulsa's women's basketball team. He averaged 14.5 points and eight rebounds as a junior at Prairie Grove.

``Steven is a very skilled post player. He is a skilled passer, a good shooter from the perimeter and has a great feel for the game,'' Wojcik said.

Across town, Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton brought in guards Robert Jarvis and Kyron Stokes to help prepare for the loss of senior Ken Tutt, a two-time all-conference selection who ranks third in school history in 3-pointers.

The 5-foot-11 Jarvis averaged 19.2 points and shot 38 percent from 3-point range last season at Seminole State College.

``Robert was a key signee for us,'' Scott Sutton said. ``He's a physically strong player; he bench presses over 300 pounds. He's a great shooter with excellent range, and he's also a very good scorer. He can play both guard positions, and he will see some time at point guard.''

Stokes, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, comes to Oral Roberts from Mansfield Summit High School, following current Golden Eagles junior Moses Ehambe. Stokes averaged 14.4 points as a junior last season at the Texas high school

``Kyron is a big guard,'' Scott Sutton said. ``He's a great shooter and he has a good feel for the game.''