Tyner's Trey Suttles (34) fights for possession of the ball in this file photo.Tyner's Trey Suttles signed scholarship papers Wednesday to rejoin former Rams teammate Travis Jones at Cleveland State Community College.
Suttles, a second-team Best of Preps player, averaged about 13 points and 10 rebounds a game as a post player this past season, when he missed 10 games with an injury.
At 6-foot-3, Suttles "might be considered a little undersized for the college level," Cleveland State coach Lee Cigliano acknowledged, "but he has pretty good weight and good strength, and he knows how to seal and has a nose for the ball when it comes off the rim at both ends of the floor. He has a good feel for the basket and a nice touch inside.
"From watching him the past two years, he has a good understanding of the game and of what needs to be done offensively and defensively, and I think having him back with Travis will be a benefit for both of them and for us."
Jones was an all-conference guard for the Cougars.
"We didn't have a big presence in the post, so we needed Trey there," Tyner coach Gerald Harris said. "He's strong and he uses his body well, but he's diverse and he's a real smart basketball player. I think he will adjust well."
Temple signs O'Neal
Former Southeast Whitfield guard TaQuasha O'Neal is staying in Chattanooga after two years at Chattanooga State. She signed Wednesday with Tennessee Temple.
"I just wanted to stay here. Temple was the only school I talked to," said the 5-foot-6 O'Neal, who scrimmaged against the Lady Crusaders while with the Lady Tigers. Her grandfather is a bishop in an Indiana church, and she likes a Christian school environment.
"I'm pretty fast and I'm good on defense," she said. "I've still got to work a little bit on my offense."
Chatt State coach Jay Price said she "plays really good defense on the ball, and she's a real good student and good person. She shoots pretty well as a spot-up shooter. She just needs to work on her ball-handling and creating shots."
Said Temple coach Kenrick Liburd: "I think she's the perfect recruit for us. She's bringing in some experience and success from Chattanooga State, and she can make an impact right away at the 2 spot. She's probably the quickest defender I've seen the last two years, on the ball and off the ball."
Lions acquire Long
Bryan College men's basketball coach Don Rekoske recently signed Jeff Long from Hendersonville (Tenn.) High School, a guard who averaged 16 points, four assists and two steals a game and shot 56 percent from the field as a senior. He surpassed 1,000 career points.
"Jeff is a terrific player who has a great chance of playing as a freshman next year," Rekoske said in a Lions posting. "He is as good a young man as he is a player."
Hendersonville's Kerry West backed that up, saying, "He has a great personality and is a fun kid to coach."