RED WOLVES (cont.)

Guys like Avery (Felts), Malcolm (Farrington), London, Davis, Jackson and Nick (Tingling) are all returners. They all know what it takes to win, they all know what it takes to play for me.”

Of the eight newcomers, two are transfers from fouryear schools, three are coming in from junior colleges and three are freshmen. All but two helped work last week’s camp at First National Bank Arena.

Mak Manciel, a 6-4 guard, was an NJCAA Division II first-team All-American at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Mich. Manciel averaged 15 points while shooting 40.8 percent from the 3-point line, and also impressed Balado with his defensive skills.

“Phenomenal player. He can score at all three levels. Great size, he’s 6-4, a bigtime athlete and really intelligent,” Balado said.

“The thing that impresses me the most about him is he was first-team alldefense (in Henry Ford’s conference) as well. When you see him guard, he can guard basically all five positions, even bigs, because he’s so strong.

He’s got a natural ability to score the ball, really shoots it at a high clip, great rotation, good balance. We expect him to do that a lot.”

ASU picked up a commitment from McCook (Neb.)

Community College forward Julian Lual, a 6-7 guard/forward who initially signed with Cleveland State and reopened his commitment after a coaching change. Lual averaged 14.1 points and 8.9 rebounds last season.

“I loved him since I saw him last summer. He’s a 6-7, wiry athlete who can play three positions and defend five. He can shoot it, very versatile,” Balado said. “When he became available, he’s somebody we hit pretty hard.”

Former Marion star Detrick Reeves, a guard who spent two seasons at John A.

Logan (Ill.), is also joining the Red Wolves out of junior college.

Alaaeddine Boutayeb, a 7-foot-2 center, transferred from Florida State to ASU.

Boutayeb did not see playing time last season for the Seminoles after enrolling in December.

Balado said Boutayeb has multiple skills.

“When you look at his size, everybody thinks he’s a plodder, a guy who sits inside with his back to the basket. He can definitely do that, but the thing that impressed me the most that I’ve seen in the last two weeks is his passing ability,” Balado said. “We’re going to do a lot of things with him in the high post, dribble handoffs, and he can really pick and pop, shoot it as well. He brings a skill set that you haven’t seen with that size at this level, which I think will help us offensively tremendously.”

Omar El-Sheikh, a 6-8 forward, joined the Red Wolves as a transfer from Assumption College, where he ranked sixth in NCAA Division II in rebounding at 11.2 per game. El- Sheikh, who had 15 double- doubles last season, spent two years at Division I Fairfield before going to Assumption.

The Red Wolves signed two freshmen, Victory Rock Prep guard Terrance Ford Jr. and Marietta forward Izayiah Nelson, during the early signing period. Valley View’s Parker St. Pierre has joined the team as a walk-on.

“We went a little bit evenly across the board,” Balado said of ASU’s recruiting class. “We always try to do a good job in recruiting talent but also character. We thought those guys were the right players for us and it didn’t matter what year they were, but I thought we brought in a good balance of experience and young talent as well.”

Balado said the Red Wolves are allowed eight hours per week until they begin preparations for the trip to the Dominican Republic. The team will leave Aug. 5, he said and remain in the country until Aug. 13.