Wolves Sign Two Oregon Prep Standouts

The Wolves, under third-year coach Stanger, finished 15-12 overall in 2007-08 and they were 8-10 in GNAC play.

The Wolves, under third-year coach Craig Stanger, finished 15-12 overall in 2007-08 and they were 8-10 in GNAC play.

MONMOUTH, Ore. - Western Oregon University men's basketball coach Craig Stanger has announced the signing of two players to National Letters of Intent.

Mazama High School's (Klamath Falls) Kolton Nelson and McMinnville's Kyle Long will join the Wolves program next fall. Nelson is a 6-8, 260 pound center, while Long is a 6-3, 175 pound guard.

"These are good team guys, players that will work hard and fit right in with our team's work ethic," Stagner commented. "I am really pleased with the level of play that they guys bring to us."

Nelson ranks sixth on Mazama's all-time scoring list with nearly 800 career points. He led the Southern Sky Conference this past winter in scoring with a 20.2 average and nearly 10 rebounds a game and was named the Most Valuable Player of the SSC. He ranked third in the state (5A) in scoring. Nelson had at least eight blocked shots in a game on numerous occasions, and he tallied 188 career blocks in just two seasons at Mazama.

"Kolton has a tremendous opportunity for growth," Stanger said. "He is smart, uses his body well and is a disaplined post player. We feel like his best basketball is ahead of him."

Long was a two-time All-Pacific Conference selection at McMinnville. A three-year starter, Long led the Grizzlies all three seasons in assists and paced his team in scoring the past two campaigns. He finished his prep career in third place on McMinnville's all-time scoring list and he is fifth in assists. Long averaged 21.3 points per game this season, fifth best in the state at the 6A level. He will play in the Northwest Shootout all-star game and the Gatorade-OACA All-Star Basketball Classic.

"Kyle is a very good team player who can shoot and pass equally well," Stanger explained. "He understands the game, and he can help us right away at either guard spot."

"It is very important to us to be able to bring in quality freshmen to continue to build our program," Stanger added. "We feel like we have taken another step in that direction with these two student-athletes."

Stanger expects to sign two or three more players in the few weeks.

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