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SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah men's basketball team has signed two high school seniors and a junior college transfer to national letters of intent. The announcement came today from Ute head coach Ray Giacoletti.
The Runnin' Utes have signed Carlon Brown, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard from Riverside, Calif.; Nemanja Calasan, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound post player from Midland Junior College; and Morgan Grim, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Riverton, Utah.
Brown and Grim made the "2006-07 Best in the West" team compiled by Frank Burlison of the Long Beach Press Telegram. Of the top 45 players on the squad, Utah signed two of the six that committed to Mountain West Conference schools. No MWC team had more selections than the Utes. Both Brown and Grim were named third team "Best in the West."
Brown averaged 22.2 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals per game as a junior. He improved his scoring average to 30 points during the final eight games. The three-year varsity starter led Martin Luther King High School to a 22-7 overall record and a 9-1 mark in league play in 2005-06. Brown was named first team all-CIF Southern Section, Ivy League MVP, and first team all-Riverside County. He chose Utah over Marquette and Nebraska.
"We are really excited about signing Carlon," says Giacoletti. "He is probably going to remind Ute fans of Andre Miller because he is a bigger point guard who is strong, can really push the ball and pass very well. He is really a good fit for us and we are excited to welcome him to our family."
Calasan (full name pronounced NAY-mon-ya CHA-la-shan) is in his sophomore season at Midland Junior College in Texas. As a freshman, Calasan was a first team all-region selection and averaged 12.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The native of Niksic, Montenegro, led the Chaparrals to the regional finals and a 27-6 record last season.
"Nemanja is a tough, hard-nosed guy who has the chance to be a junior college All-American this year," says Giacoletti. "We've followed his progress the past couple of years as he made his way to Midland, and he will be an excellent addition to our front line next year."
Grim averaged 17.4 points per game in his junior season and was the only underclassman selected to the Deseret Morning News 5A all-state first team. Grim led Riverton High School to a 20-5 record and the Utah 5A state title game, where the Silver Wolves lost to Bingham on a last-second basket. He averaged 23 points per game in the state tournament, which was fourth best in 5A. Grim was voted one of the top 25 players in the 400 team Las Vegas AAU Tournament in the summer of 2006. He is an honor student with a 3.5 GPA. Grim was also recruited by Stanford, Pacific and BYU.
"Morgan is the best player in his class in the state this year and we are excited to bring him to the University of Utah," says Giacoletti. "He has a tremendous upside and has continued to develop over the past year. He can run the floor well and has a chance to be a very versatile player for us."
- UU -
