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Swamp Foxes sign letters-of-intent

August 30, 2011

Eight members of Waycross College’s GCAA championship basketball team have signed letters-of-intent to continue their basketball careers at a four-year college or university.

Tarrance Chatman will play for Georgia College in Milledgeville, Ga., an NCAA Division II power.  Chatman averaged 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds during the Swamp Foxes’ championship season.  Labeled a “quiet leader” by head coach Cory Baldwin, Chatman played in every game in the team’s first two seasons.

In addition to excelling on the court, Chatman also excelled in the classroom.  He maintained a 3.0 grade point average while at WC and was a two-time selection to the All-Academic team by the Georgia Basketball Coaches Association (GABCA).

Bob Covin will return to his hometown of Albany, Ga., to play for Albany State University (NCAA Division II).  Like Chatman, Covin played in every game during the Swamp Foxes’ first two seasons and was an important contributor off the bench.  He averaged 3.3 points per game and shot 67 percent from the free throw line.

Covin said he is excited about meeting his goal of playing at a four-year university but will also miss his teammates and the Swamp Fox experience.

“Going to a four-year and playing is what we all wanted when we got here,” he said.  “Now we wish we could stay at Waycross College forever.  The team was tight and family-like and we will all miss each other.”

Andrei Hall has signed with Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tenn., which is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).  After redshirting during the 2009-2010 season, Hall was another contributor off the bench by averaging 57 percent from the field in 2010-2011. 

Desmin Hall will play for Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tenn., also of the NAIA.  Hall averaged 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last season.  According to Baldwin, Hall was a “constant hard worker” for the Swamp Foxes.

Reco Lewis has signed with Clayton State University in Morrow, Ga., after two successful seasons at WC.  In 2010-2011, Lewis averaged 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.  He also had a total of 150 steals during the season (4.5 per game average).

Lewis received numerous honors last season, including NJCAA All-American honorable mention, first team All-GCAA, GCAA Defensive Player of the Year, and first team All-GABCA.

Among his many highlights in 2010-2011, Lewis gave the Swamp Foxes their first lead of the GCAA Championship Game on a three-pointer with 9:48 remaining in the second half.  WC never surrendered the lead again, defeating the College of Coastal Georgia, 68-62, and earning a berth in the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.

“(This is) like a dream come true,” said Lewis.

Rachard Lofton will join Covin at Albany State next season.  As point guard for the Swamp Foxes in 2010-2011, Lofton averaged 8.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.  His clutch performance in the conference tournament earned him a spot on the GCAA All-Tournament team.  He was also an All-GABCA third team selection.

Like Covin, Lofton said he is excited about playing for Albany State but will also miss his years as a Swamp Fox.

“(I am) excited about (the) new challenges and adventures ahead of me at Albany State, but (I also) know I have a team full of brothers from my two years at Waycross College,” said Lofton.

Josh Mendenhall has signed to play for Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C., which is a member of the NCAA Division I Southern Conference.  Mendenhall played in every Swamp Fox game during the past two seasons.  He averaged 9.4 points and eight rebounds per game in 2010-2011.

During the regular season and conference tournament, Mendenhall was the leader or co-leader in rebounds in 16 of the Swamp Foxes’ 33 games.  He was named GABCA Freshman of the Year in 2010 and was an All-GABCA third team selection.

Joe Williams will play for NCAA Division I Charleston Southern University in North Charleston, S.C., next season.  Like three of his teammates, Williams played in every game during the Swamp Foxes’ first two seasons.  He is the all-time leader in blocked shots and holds the single-game scoring record with 37 points against Atlanta Metropolitan College in the GCAA semifinals.

Williams averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game in 2010-2011.  He was named Most Valuable Player of the GCAA Tournament, an All-GCAA third team selection, a member of the GABCA’s All-Academic Team, and an All-GABCA second team selection.

Coach Baldwin is pleased to see his players get a chance to play at the next level and, more importantly, to continue working towards earning their college degrees.

“I am excited for each guy to get the chance to play four-year basketball,” he said.  “I’m even more excited that all of them will continue pursuing a bachelor’s degree.”

Baldwin said two additional players considered their options of playing at a four-year university but chose to concentrate fully on their degrees.  Blake Fussell received an academic scholarship from Valdosta State University and Jacob Mitchell received an academic scholarship from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

“I am very proud of them,” said Baldwin.  “It is a great accomplishment for anyone to earn academic scholarships, but it is tremendous to receive one while being a college student-athlete.”

According to Baldwin, the 2011-2012 Swamp Foxes will begin defense of their conference title in November.

 Waycross College has been a proud member of the University System of Georgia since the College’s founding in 1976.