McNeese Cowboys basketball is continuing to build its foundation when first-year head coach Will Wade announced five players to the initial signing class.
Four of the five will come from Division I programs while the fifth is transferring from a JUCO in California.
Wade expects to sign several more prospects in the coming weeks.
McNeese Cowboys Signees
CJ Felder/6’7″ 240 lbs F/Sumter, SC/Florida
“CJ is a prototypical multi-positional big man that can play inside and out for us,” Wade said. “He is a very good offensive rebounder and he’s someone who can shoot it from deep while also playing out of the post. We look forward to working with CJ and continuing his growth as a player.”
Felder will come to McNeese with one year of eligibility remaining as he averaged 2.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game as a senior at Florida. The best season of his college career came at Boston College in 2020-2021, when he averaged 9.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in 19 appearances. In high school, he averaged 13 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocked shots per game before an injury ended his senior season. He was rated by 247Sports as the fourth-best player in South Carolina.
Javohn Garcia/6’3″ 180 lbs G/Columbus, OH/UMass, College of Sequoias
“Jahvon is an all-around guard who can score it from anywhere,” said Wade. “He was a tremendous player at UMass and then led Sequoias to a conference title this past season. We are excited about how JG can impact the game and win through his offensive arsenal.”
Garcia averaged 20.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game after playing 30 games. He shot 52% at College of Sequoias including 46% from behind the arc. He lead his team to a Central Valley Division title in the California Community College Athletic Association. He averaged eight points per game in his two years at UMass.
Zach Harvey/6’6″ 190 lbs G/Overland Park, KS/Cincinnati/UCSB
“Zach is someone I have known for a long time and recruited previously,” Will Wade said. “He has a big-time body and will be able to play and score from multiple positions. I am excited about Zach getting back on the court to show everyone what he is capable of.”
After missing the entire year at UCSB, Harvey comes to Lake Charles after spending the two previous seasons playing for Cincinnati. While with the Bearcats, Harvey averaged 4.1 points per game to go along with a rebound and 0.7 assists. He appeared in a total of 38 games as a reserve and was named to AAC Weekly Honor Roll on January 10, 2022. In high school, Harvey was a four-star prospect rated as high as #48 nationally and the ninth-best shooting guard by 247Sports.
DJ Richards/6’5″ 180 lbs G/Houston, TX/UTSA
“DJ is a prolific shooter and scorer who will fill it up for us nightly. More importantly, he has an edge to him that fits my personality as a coach and will fit our team’s personality on the court. The ceiling for DJ is very high and we look forward to him continuing to add to his game this coming year at McNeese” said Head Coach Will Wade.
Richards comes to Lake Chares after being named a Conference USA All-Freshman team player at UTSA. The Houston native appeared in all 32 games, starting 25. He averaged 10.5 points and 4.7 rebounds a game while scoring in double figures 19 times. He also ranked second on the Roadrunners in three-point shooting, making 63 on the season for a 33% clip. While at Montverde Academy for a postgraduate year, Richards was named the Florida Sun Basketball Conference State Tournament MVP, FSBC All-State First Team, and FSBC Central Division Player of the Year.
Mike Saunders Jr/6’0″ 184 lbs G/Indianapolis, IN/Utah
“Mike is a tremendous player who has great leadership qualities as well. We are very excited about him being a part of our program and he will make an immediate impact both on and off the court. I have followed Mike’s basketball career for a long time and he will get the opportunity to show everyone what a great player he is this season.”
While at Utah, Saunders played in 18 games and averaged 4.1 points, and shot 42% from the field. Before that, he was at Cincinnati for two seasons. While with the Bearcats, Saunders was named to the 20 Under-the-Radar Breakout Players list by Jon Rothstein and averaged 7.3 points per game as a sophomore. He also shot 35.9% from three and had five conference games with double-digit points. The Indianapolis native averaged 3.5 points and 1.4 assists and rebounds per game, starting 10 games. He led his high school team to a Top 5 national ranking and was rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN.