UMO announces men’s basketball recruiting class

MOUNT OLIVE – The University of Mount Olive men’s basketball program has announced its incoming recruiting class for the 2023-24 campaign.

These individuals have either signed national letters of intent or institutional letters expressing their desire to play men’s basketball at UMO. This year’s class features eight recruits from North Carolina plus one each from Maryland and Virginia.

“Up until this point, our recruits have had tremendous team success at the high school level. We want to cultivate that into team success at the collegiate level,” said head coach Dory Hines. “It will be the job of our staff to challenge them daily and hold them accountable. The three things we will be known for are playing hard, playing together and always being the tougher team.”

The Trojans finished last season with a 13-18 overall record and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Conference Carolinas Championship following a pair of postseason victories. Hines enters his second year at the helm at Mount Olive with seven returning student-athletes from the 2022-23 season.

The signees are Brooks Allred, a 6-0 guard from Western Alamance High School; Kahlif Barnes, a 6-7 forward from Piedmont Classical High School; Ja’Merl Brockington, a 6-0 guard from Lumberton High School; Kennard Davis, a 5-11 guard from Shabach Christian Academy in Maryland; Redford Dunton, a 6-7 forward from Millbrook High School who is a transfer from Purdue-Fort Wayne; Darrel Johnson, a 6-5 guard-forward from Highland School in Virginia; Jacob Hammonds, a 5-10 guard from Lumberton High School; Tomir Moore, a 6-0 guard from Kinston High School; Lareon Walker, a 6-4 guard from NCGBB Academy and a transfer from UNC-Pembroke; Josiah Watkins, a 6-3 guard from Piedmont Classical High School and Ellis Williams, a 6-1 guard from Henderson Collegiate High School.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics