KINGSVILLE, Texas - Texas A&M-Kingsville's head men's basketball coach Omar Gonzalez has announced the initial signing class of 2023 on Monday morning.
The class marks the first of Gonzalez tenure as head coach of the Javelinas after five seasons as the top assistant coach on staff at TAMUK.
The inaugural recruiting class of the Gonzalez era includes five student-athletes that will be true freshmen in 2023-24 and one junior college transfer all coming from the Lone Star state.
2023 TAMUK Men's Basketball Signing Class
*Recruits are listed in alphabetical order by last name*
Nelson Chukwukelu – Richmond, Texas – Travis HS – 6'7", 180 lbs. – Forward – Freshman
Coach's thoughts: Nelson is a player you get excited about. He has a certain energy and desire to learn the game that you want around the program. Nelson is going to fit in perfectly with us! He comes from a great family and has had great mentors. It was an easy decision to make him a Javelina.
Jarin Hall – San Antonio, Texas – Harlan HS – 6'3", 185 lbs. – Guard – Freshman
Coach's thoughts: When you look at Jarin, you see an underdog mentality. You see a young man who is eager for an opportunity to continue to get better. I think his best basketball is still in front of him and that is a compliment considering the high school career he is coming off of. I am excited for him to get to campus and be a part of this team.
Jordan Henderson – Katy, Texas – Lamar State Port Aruthur JC (Katy Tompkins HS) – 6'9", 195 lbs. – Forward – Sophomore
Coach's thoughts: Jordan is a really good signee for our team. He provides a different style of player to our already good core of talent inside. One of the best things Jordan does outside of what you see statistically is really good passing and decision-making skills, which will help us within our system.
Ke'Andre Jones – Port Arthur, Texas – Memorial HS – 6'5", 178 lbs. – Guard – Freshman
Coach's thoughts: Absolute highlight reel! Ke'Andre is coming off a great high school career capped off in the TABC all-star game. He finished 4th in state in track so that is all you need to know about his competitive edge. Keke (nickname pronounced Key-key) is someone that we think will be able to play up to 4 positions on both sides of the floor.
Zyon Little – Dickinson, Texas – Dickinson HS – 6'6", 215 lbs. – Forward – Freshman
Coach's thoughts: Zyon is going to be a great fit for us! He is strong, athletic, and can play multiple positions for us on both sides of the ball. Having played for a great high school program like Dickinson and being a star in two sports (football & Basketball) speaks highly of the type of competitor we are getting in Zyon. He is used to playing against good competition and we need players like him to continue to make the post season.
Andre Walker – Houston, Texas – Washington HS – 5'9", 175 lbs. – Guard – Freshman
Coach's thoughts: Dre is going to bring a lot of toughness and winning experience to our culture! Having played in a state championship and running that team, he is going to fit right into our culture and system.
As a program, the Blue and Gold look to improve on a 20-plus win season in 2022-23 where the Javelinas went 21-12 on the year and 14-8 in Lone Star Conference play winning the East Division and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for only the eighth time in program history.
Fans can learn more about the Javelina men's basketball by following @JavelinaMBB on Twitter and Instagram, liking Texas A&M University-Kingsville Men's Basketball on Facebook, subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube channel, and visiting Javelinaathletics.com.
