Men's Basketball announces Class of 2017

June 14, 2013

St. Louis- Head men's basketball coach Steve Schafer has announced that nine student-athletes have made commitments to attend Fontbonne University and play basketball for the Griffins. All nine players will be incoming freshman to the University. The student-athletes come from Missouri, Illinois and Nevada. Coach Schafer had this to say about his incoming recruiting class, "I couldn't be happier with the group of guys we have brought in to our basketball family here at Fontbonne. We really addressed some needs in our program with this group moving forward. This is a very talented bunch of players that have enjoyed great success on the basketball floor but more importantly, they are all high character young men who are excellent students."

1) Bryan DeGeare – 6-8, 180lbs. Crystal City HS / Crystal City, Missouri

Bryan comes to Fontbonne after attending Crystal City High School. He averaged 17.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.4 blocked shots per game his senior season. His 109 blocked shots were the most of any player in the St. Louis metro area this past season. He finished his Hornet career with more than 1,000 points scored, leading Crystal to a 15-12 record in 2012-2013. DeGeare was named Player of the Year in the Jefferson County Small Conference. He was a two-time first team all-conference player as well as being tabbed first team All-District. Bryan was also one of ten players selected to the Jefferson County Regional Radio "Dream Team" this past winter. Brian was an honor roll student all four years at Crystal City High School.

"I can't tell you how excited I am to announce that Bryan DeGeare will be joining our basketball family here at Fontbonne. Bryan is a difference-maker and a program changer! Guys like Bryan don't come around very often. He is extremely versatile offensively at six foot eight inches tall. He is a tremendous shot blocker and rebounder as well. The scary thing is, he hasn't even scratched the surface as to how good he will be! He should be a load in the SLIAC conference," commented Coach Schafer.

2) Austin Guinn – 6-6, 190lbs. Bishop Gorman HS / Las Vegas, Nevada

Austin started every game for the Gaels averaging 8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists for a Bishop Gorman team that finished 29-3 and ranked #15 nationally by the USA Today and #11 nationally by MaxPreps.com. He shot 58% from the field including 38% from three-point range. Guinn was named to the Sunset Southwest League All-Conference team his senior year. He was also named the 2013 Bishop Gorman boys basketball "Coaches Award" winner and was selected as a team captain for the 2012-2013 season. Austin was a national honor society member and received academic all-conference recognition this year.

"Our basketball program took a huge step forward in getting Austin Guinn. He is a proven leader and winner. He comes from one of the best high school programs in the country and has played against top-level competition for four years. His versatility and athleticism will be huge assets to our program. Austin has a chance to be a special player here at Fontbonne and in the SLIAC," commented coach Schafer.

3) Kyle David – 6-1, 175lbs. Hollister HS / Hollister, Missouri

Attended Hollister High School where he averaged 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game. David connected on 125 career three-pointers and started in 83 games throughout his high school career. He was tabbed to the Central Ozarks All-Conference team and was also named first-team All-District. David was named to several All-Tournament teams including the Marionville Invitational tournament twice and the Sparta Invitational all-tournament team. Kyle earned a spot on the Tri-Lakes All-Area team by the Branson Tri-Lakes Newspaper and was named Athlete of the Week by KRZK/KMOC radio during his senior season. He was a member of the National Honor Society and graduated this spring Cum Laude.

"Kyle is a great addition to our basketball family. He is a shifty guard who has a high basketball IQ. He will be one of the best shooters in our program immediately. Kyle has a chance to make an immediate impact to our program. We are very happy he has decided to join the Fontbonne basketball program," commented Coach Schafer.

4) Garrett McDowell – 6-3, 170lbs. St. Pius X HS / Crystal City, Missouri

Garrett comes to Fontbonne after a highly decorated high school career at St. Pius X high school. McDowell is the all-time leading scorer at St. Pius scoring 1,912 points in his career. He holds multiple school records including total points in a season (581), career three-pointers made (238), season three-point field goals made (84), and scoring average in a single-season (22.3). During his senior season Garrett averaged 19 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2 assists per game. He was a four-time all-conference player as well as a three-time all-district performer. McDowell received second-team all-state honors his senior year. He also was named St. Louis Post Dispatch Athlete of the Week three times and was a two-time all-tournament team selection at the Affton Holiday tournament. McDowell was also named to the Jefferson County Regional Radio "Dream Team" this season. Garrett helped lead St. Pius X to three conference championships during his high school career. He was a member of the National Honor Society and was Academic All-State.

"We are pleased to announce that Garrett has decided to join the basketball family here at Fontbonne. Garrett is a scorer! He can flat out shoot it. He is a bigger guard who is very versatile. He has a chance to make a big impact to our program over the next four years and we are happy to have him wearing the purple and gold," commented Coach Schafer.

5) Kody Ettinger – 6-0, 170lbs. Cuba HS / Cuba, Missouri

Ettinger comes to Fontbonne as arguably the most highly decorated basketball player in Cuba High School boys basketball history. Kody graduated from Cuba as the school's all-time leading scorer (2,039 points). He holds eleven school records in boys basketball including points in a season (782), career three-pointers made (179), career assists (381) and career steals (244). Kody averaged 29 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists and helped lead his team to a 24-3 record his senior year. He is a three-year all-conference and all-district player. Ettinger was tabbed to the All-State team both his junior and senior year. Kody was on the Presidential honor roll at Cuba High School as well as a member of the National Honor Society. He was named to the Academic All-State team his senior year. Kody will also be playing for the men's golf team at Fontbonne. He finished second in the Missouri Class 2 state tournament this past spring.

"Kody is a tremendous addition to our program. He is a stat sheet stuffer and brings a lot of intangibles to our basketball program. He is very athletic and can really score off the bounce. We expect him to have a great career here at Fontbonne," commented Coach Schafer

6) Nathan Reichert – 6-6, 210lbs. Parkview HS / Springfield, Missouri

Attended Parkview High School where he averaged 12 points, 6 rebounds and shot 60 percent from the field his senior year. Nathan was named first-team all-Ozarks conference and Class 5 district 12 All-District first-team 2012-2013. He helped lead his team to a 22-6 record this past year and was the team's leading rebounder and second leading scorer. Nathan was also named first-team all-tournament at the Blue and Gold tournament in Springfield this past season. He was most recently named to the Lions Club City All-Star team. Nathan earned the Presidential Award for academic excellence at Parkview High School and was an honor roll student.

"We are very excited to add Nathan to our program. He brings much needed size and a low-post presence to our team. Nathan is old-school. He has tremendous foot-work and skill on the low-block. He has a variety of post moves, range to 15-17 feet and great feel for the game. He is a work-horse whose best basketball is ahead of him. We are glad those days will be played here at Fontbonne," commented Coach Schafer.

7) Dallas Haywood – 6-0, 165lbs. Brooks Academy / Chicago, Illinois

Haywood attended Brooks Academy in Chicago where he played in the Public Red West division of the Chicago Public League, which is regarded as one of the best high school boys basketball conferences in the nation. He averaged 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals per game his senior season. He was a two-year starter for the Eagles. Dallas was an honor-roll student at Brooks Academy.

"We are so happy that Dallas Haywood has decided to attend Fontbonne. He brings immediate toughness to our program and can be a lock-up defender for us. Dallas played in what I believe to be one of the most physical high school conferences in the country. With that, he is a true point guard that possesses great quickness. He has the ability to make plays off the bounce and will make his teammates better," commented Coach Schafer.

8) Rio Justice Chandler – 6-3, 175lbs. Bonanza High School / Las Vegas, Nevada

Attended Bonanza High School in Las Vegas, Nevada where he was a four-year varsity letter-winner and three-year starter for the Bengals. Rio averaged 13.8 points, 5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2 steals per game his senior year. He led his team in rebounding, assists and steals and was the team's second leading scorer. He shot 35% from three-point range during the 2012-2013 season. Chandler averaged 7.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game as a junior. He was the team's most valuable player his senior year. Rio was a two-time all-conference player for the Bengals. Chandler was a member of the National Honor Society and graduated with high honors from Bonanza High School's Medallion program.

"Rio Justice Chandler is a great fit to our program. He really ties this recruiting class together because he does so many things at both ends of the floor. He brings a great level of maturity and leadership to our program as a freshman. He epitomizes the qualities we look for when we recruit student-athletes to our basketball program here at Fontbonne," commented Coach Schafer.

9) Duane Joseph Jr. – 6-2, 170lbs. St. Mary's High School / Independence, Missouri

Attended St. Mary's High School where he averaged 7.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Duane was Crossroads honorable mention all-conference his senior year. He was also a two-year starter for the Trojans.

"We are very pleased to have Duane attending Fontbonne and playing basketball for our program. Duane is very long and athletic. He is a very good rebounding guard. He has a lot of raw talent and his upside is tremendous. He has a bright future ahead of him here," commented Coach Schafer.