Marshall University Athletics
Jirsa Nets Four In His First Marshall Signing Class
11/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jirsa Nets Four In His First Marshall Signing Class
11/11/2003
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - First-year head coach Ron Jirsa inked four players to NCAA National Letters of Intent Wednesday, the first day of the national signing period. Ryan Lamb of Hiram, Ga., Joe Miles of Forestville, Md., Casey Wohlleb of Boca Raton, Fla., and Jesse Oglesby of Lithonia, Ga., all signed to compete for the Thundering Herd in the fall of 2004.
?I am excited about these four young men and the impact they will have on the future of our basketball program,? head coach Ron Jirsa said. ?I?m very impressed with their work ethic and their love for the game of basketball. All four will be welcome additions to the Thundering Herd next fall.?
Lamb, a 5?8 point guard, comes to Marshall from Whitefield Academy in Mableton, Ga., where he averaged 15.5 points and nine assists per game his junior season. He has won a championship at every level of basketball, including a Georgia State Championship in Class A a year ago. In the championship game, he grabbed MVP honors as his Wolfpack team took out Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, a squad led by Dwight Howard, one of the country?s top-rated centers. Lamb was the first oral commitment for the Herd earlier this Fall.
?Ryan gives us a real boost in the backcourt in the coming seasons,? Jirsa said. ?He is a mature player beyond his years that immediately makes other players on our team better.?
?Marshall is a perfect fit for Ryan,? said Whitefield Academy Head Coach Tyrone Johnson. ?He?s an exceptional ball handler, as well as a great passer. What separates Ryan from most other smaller guards is his ability to shoot the deep ball. It?s a good marriage and I?m looking forward to watching Ryan play with Marshall.?
Miles, a 6?1 guard that currently attends St. Thomas More Prep School in Oakdale, Ct., can play both the point and off-guard positions. He averaged 19 points per game for St. Johns High School in Washington, D.C., before breaking his foot in December. A close friend of former Herd great Keith Veney, he chose the Thundering Herd over George Washington University, Siena, Towson State University, and St. Francis (PA).
?Joe is a penetrator with great quickness, ball-handling and shooting ability,? Jirsa said. ?He is a multi-dimensional player with a great flare for the game.?
Wohlleb, a 6?6 guard from Boca Raton, Fla., was named the Broward County Player of the Year by the Miami Herald and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel in 2002-03, while averaging 20.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He is the first player from North Broward Prep School to receive a basketball scholarship. Wohlleb chose the Herd over Tulane, Dayton, and UNC-Wilmington.
?I think you are getting a very versatile player at the next level that can play three positions (point guard, off-guard, wing),? said North Broward Prep Head Coach Danney Haney. ?He?s a very athletic player that is extremely exciting to watch. He also loves the game and is a total gym rat. It?s hard to get him out of the gym.?
?Casey is a very well-rounded basketball player, with a tremendous basketball IQ and work ethic,? Jirsa said. ?He is also a true guard at 6?6.?
The Herd?s final signee, Jesse Oglesby, is a 6?10 center from Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Lithonia, Georgia. He averaged six points and six rebounds at King High School as a junior, and like Wohlleb, is the first player to receive a basketball scholarship at his school.
?He has unlimited potential and the body frame (7?1 wing span, size 18 shoe) to be a big part of our future in the paint,? Jirsa said.
?Jesse is a great kid and a very coachable player with an unlimited upside,? said Martin Luther King, Jr. High School Head Coach Eric Mance. ?With his great work ethic, you should be getting a great player as his game and body develops.?
