GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNC Greensboro men's basketball coach Mike Dement announced Friday the commitments of forward David Williams and center Aloysius Henry during the on-going National Letter of Intent signing period.
Williams is a 6-7, 200-pound forward from Jacksonville, Fla. and a product of First Coast High School. Henry is a 6-9, 225-pound center who attended Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo., the last two years and is a native of St. Lucia.
"We are pleased to announce these two additions to our three signees from the fall," said Dement. "David and Aloysius both come from highly successful programs and have excellent coaching in their background. They are both serious students and will bring needed strengths to our roster."
Williams played his AAU ball with the Atlanta Celtics, a team that early signee Trevis Simpson played with at one time. A selection to the FABC state all-star game earlier this month, Williams led First Coast to a 23-3 mark this past season, its best record ever, and a spot in the regional title game. Williams averaged 10.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists this past season for First Coast. As a junior, he had 19 double-doubles with averages of 21 points, 11 rebounds and six assists per contest. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player each of the last two seasons.
Williams is also an excellent student, sporting a 3.7 GPA at First Coast and is in National Honor Society, and is heavily involved in the community. He is a volunteer for Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Schools and is also a member of the Youth Usher Board in his church.
"David is a versatile guard who is an excellent defender with his height, length and work ethic," said Dement. "He gives us that good-sized wing/guard that many of the best teams in our league have enjoyed. David became interested in us when Trevis Simpson signed with UNCG in the fall. We are excited that he and his family are joining UNCG."
Henry, who attended Bocage Secondary back home in St. Lucia, helped Three Rivers to the NJCAA national title game this past season. He had 17 points and 13 rebounds against Howard College (Texas) in the overtime loss. An all-region selection this past season, Henry averaged 11.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this year, shooting 51 percent from the floor.
At Three Rivers, Henry played for Gene Bess, the winningest coach in the NJCAA. Bess has more than 1,100 wins in his career and was the first college coach on any level to surpass the 1,000-win mark back in 2006.
"Aloysius had a great year in an equally great program at Three Rivers Community College under legendary Coach Bess," Dement said. "Aloysius certainly is a winner and he was a big part of his team's advancement to the national championship game. He chose UNCG over opportunities at Big XII and Big Ten schools, and that shows the value of both our move to the Greensboro Coliseum and the philosophy around the strength of schedule that we have adopted.
"He is a big presence inside on the defensive end of the floor and can score on the offensive end with good post moves and offensive rebounding. Aloysius can step out to the high post area, as well, making him a versatile player. He is an excellent passer for his size."
Back in November during the early signing period, the Spartans had received commitments from Simpson, a 6-5 wing; 6-9 power forward Cody Henegar and 6-2 guard Drew Parker.
"With the addition of these two young men, this has shaped up to be an exciting class," said Dement. "We have one more scholarship to work with and we will hopefully decide in the next few days on that final spot."
- UNCG -