Men's Basketball Signs Five To National Letters Of Intent
June 03, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Tyronne Beale (Silver Spring, Md., Md./Allegany College) and Courtney Captain (Galveston, Texas/San Jacinto College) will each have two years of eligibility remaining after transferring from junior college, while Quinton Goods (Greensboro, N.C./Charis Prep), Sam Hinnant (Charlotte, N.C./Fork Union Military Academy), and Justin Ramsey (Chesapeake, Va./Calvary Christian High) will comprise the Pirate freshman class. Beale, Goods and Ramsey will help the Pirates on the interior, while Captain and Hinnant will provide an additional perimeter dimension.
"We're very excited about the five individuals we have signed," said Stokes. "This is a very skilled group that can really shoot the basketball. Each player in the class comes from a winning program and is eager to elevate ECU basketball to the next level. This is a very mature group of young men and each individual will have a chance to contribute during the upcoming season."
Beale, 6-9 and 200 pounds, finished with the fifth highest scoring average among National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) players and the ninth highest rebounding average last season as a sophomore. He tallied 14 double-doubles in 30 games played, topped the 20-point plateau seven times and scored over 30 points on three occasions. He averaged 22.2 points and 10.5 rebounds and earned first team all-conference honors.
"Tyronne (Beale) was one of our main targets," Stokes said. "He gives us a proven scorer in the post and someone who can rebound the basketball. He averaged a double-double for one of the top junior college programs in the country."
Captain, 6-1 and 190 pounds, averaged 16.3 points and 5.6 assists per game this past season, while shooting 39.7 percent from behind the arc. After serving as the primary backup to current Cincinnati guard Jihad Muhammad as a freshman, Captain emerged as the Ravens' leader and paced his team to a 31-3 overall record, earning first team All-Region XIV honors.
"Courtney is a versatile guard that can play both point and shooting guard," stated Stokes. "He is a proven scorer from the perimeter and possesses great leadership qualities."
Goods, 6-9 and 225 pounds, is one of four players from Charis Prep in Goldsboro (N.C.) to have received a scholarship to a Division I school this season. He averaged nearly 18 points and 10 rebounds per game during the 2004-05 campaign. Prior to enrolling at Charis, Goods attended Ben L. Smith High School in Greensboro where he was a two-time All-Piedmont Triad 3-A Conference player.
"Quinton is a very strong and athletic forward who can handle the ball and runs the floor extremely well," Stokes said. "He is a young man that has a tremendous work ethic and can really score the basketball around the basket."
Hinnant, 6-4 and 190 pounds, is ranked among the nation's top 100 fifth-year players by The Hoop Scoop. Prior to prepping at Fork Union Military Academy this past season, he attended Vance High School in Charlotte, where he led the Cougars to a state championship as a junior. Primarily a shooting guard, Hinnant shot better than 40 percent from three-point range, while leading FUMA to a 27-2 record.
"Sam gives us another guard that can really shoot," said Stokes. "He really competes on the defensive end of the floor and gives us another option at the point."
Ramsey, 6-10 and 235, transferred to Calvary Christian this past fall after attending Bonner Academy in Raleigh. He averaged 10 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks per game.
"Justin was our biggest recruit in terms of size," stated Stokes. "He is eager to learn and develop himself to an all-around player. At 6-10, he is a formidable post defender with good hands, whose defense is ahead of his offense right now."
