Coyotes keep Arizona connection alive, sign five from the Copper State for 2008
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

The Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes may want to consider a name change for the men’s basketball team – to Arizona Wesleyan–Northeast. Head Coach Tommy DeSalme has continued the trend of bringing quality basketball players to Wesleyan from Arizona, announcing the signings of five players to letters of intent.

Romero Hood, Mychal Henderson, Mike Bartee, Maurice McLean and DaRon Stafford will all don the Wesleyan purple and gold next season.

Romero Hood, a 6-1 guard from Phoenix, averaged 6.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and one steal per game last season for the Phoenix College Bears after missing the 2005-06 season with an injury. He was also named as an Academic All-American. He will have three years of eligibility remaining at KWU.

“Romero comes from a great juco program and coach Matt Gordon – that has many ties to Kansas Wesleyan. He is a great example of what a student-athlete should be,” DeSalme said.

“I think he has a chance to be a great player for us. He is very quick and can really defend. He hit some big shots and made big play after big play for Phoenix at the National Tournament.

“I think he will be a very good scorer for us as well. He didn’t have to score at PC this year, they had four D-I signees to dish the ball to. He will play both off-guard and the lead for us. Another great thing is he has three years left to be in our program.”

Hood excelled at Agua Fria High School, averaging 25 points, six rebounds and five assists per game en route to being named the West Valley Player of the Year in 2005. He was also named First Team All-Region and Honorable Mention All-State.

Mychal Henderson, a 6-6 guard/forward from Tucson, comes to KWU after starring at Chandler-Gilbert CC.

“Mychal is a very skilled player; he can play multiple positions and can really shoot the ball with unlimited range,” DeSalme said. “He is a very good athlete that can really run. He can handle the ball like a point guard and that gives us a chance to cause some match-up problems.

Henderson averaged 16.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game this season, including knocking down 52 3’s, and connecting on 41 percent of his shots behind the arc, and 46 percent overall. He was named the Team MVP, received the Coyote Award. He was in the Top-15 in scoring in the Arizona Community College Conference.

“I think if he buys into how hard we play on a daily basis and how important defense is to our program, he will have a chance to be a special, special player,” DeSalme said.

Henderson’s teammate Mike Bartee follows him to Wesleyan. Bartee, a 6-6 forward from Chandler, averaged 14.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while averaging 49 percent from the field at Chandler-Gilbert. He had five double-doubles and a season high 37 point game against Southwestern (Ariz.) College.

“Michael is a great signing for us,” DeSalme said. “He is a big time athlete with a great feel for the game. He is very good at pick and roll basketball and can really score with his back to the basket.”

“I believe a hidden part of his game is his ability to shoot the ball. He can defend anyone on the floor and gives us a player that can really block shots. My favorite thing about Mike is his energy and personality. He should be one of the better players in the KCAC.”

Maurice McLean comes to Kansas Wesleyan after playing last season at Glendale CC. The 6-1 guard and Santa Barbara, Calif., native, averaged 10.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game last season for the Gauchos and coach Dave Hodges. He was third in the ACCAC in steals per game.

“Maurice is a hard nosed, tough athlete,” DeSalme said. “He is a military guy who did a tour of duty in Iraq. He is a great defender and is very, very physical. He will come in and have a chance to really help our team because of his toughness. He has the ability to score and he plays much bigger than his size.”

DaRon Stafford comes to Wesleyan after two years at South Mountain CC. Last season, the 6-0 guard from Phoenix averaged 8.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and one steal per game for the Cougars. He also shot 77 percent at the line and was third in the ACCAC in three-point field goal percentage at 45.6 percent, going 41-of-90 from behind the arc.

“DaRon is a very good scoring guard,” DeSalme said. “He can really shoot it, but has the great ability to score off the dribble.”

Before South Mountain, Stafford had an exceptional career at North High in Phoenix. He was a three-time team MVP, was named All-State, was named to the Arizona All-Super Ten and was a McDonald’s All-American nominee. He was also tagged as a three-time First Team All-Metro region player and was the Metro Region Player of the Year in 2004.

“I think he will be a great scorer out of our offense,” DeSalme said. “If he will buy into our system and learn to be a little tougher on defense, then he will have a chance to be a special player for us.”

Last Season the Coyotes finished with a 28-4 overall record, setting a new school record for wins in a season, while capturing the KCAC Regular Season and Post-Season Tournament Championship Titles. Wesleyan also made its first-ever appearance in the NAIA Division II National Tournament last season.

-- KWU SI --

Romero Hood	Mychal Henderson
Mike Bartee	Maurice McLean
DaRon Stafford