MARSHALL, Minn. - Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball head coach Brad Bigler announced on Tuesday that Darry Jones from Robbinsdale, Minn., Alex Koch from St. Louis Park, Minn., Casey Sussenguth from Willmar, Minn., and Jerome Vaughn from Minneapolis, Minn., have signed letters of intent to continue their academic and basketball careers at SMSU.  Bigler also announced that Tramel Barnes from Watson, Minn., will transfer to SMSU from Northern State University. 

The five student-athletes brings SMSU's recruiting class for 2010-11 to seven total players.  Vinard Birch from Eagan, Minn., and Nick Smith from Johnston, Iowa, both signed during the early signing period in November.

“This recruiting class has big shoes to fill,” said Bigler.  “We lost five seniors to graduation who were a big part of our success for the past four years.  Plenty of spots have opened up and we expect these guys to come in and compete for minutes right away.  We will be young next year but hopefully we can make up for it by setting the tone in practice on a daily basis.”

Jones, a 6-foot-1, guard, from Robbinsdale Cooper High School, averaged 16.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game this season earning all-conference honors and leading his team to a 25-4 record.  He shot 55.5 percent from the field, including 42.1 percent from 3-point range and played in the Minnesota High School All-Star series.

“Darry's ability to score and his athleticism make him an intriguing player,” Bigler said.  “He will be counted on to compete for minutes next year.  Coach Johnson and the Cooper High School staff have helped develop Darry into a complete player.”

Koch, a 6-foot-4, guard, from St. Louis Park High School, averaged 17.7 points and nine rebounds per game this season and was named team's most valuable player in leading the squad to its first winning seasons in nine years.  A two-time team captain and two-time all-conference honoree, Koch scored 1,052 points in his career.

“Alex is a big guard who can shoot the ball at a high level,” Bigler said.  “What intrigued us most about Alex is how hard he competed on every possession.  He will most likely redshirt next year but will be counted on to compete for minutes in the future.”

Sussenguth, a 6-foot-7, forward, from Willmar, Minn., will transfer from Ridgewater College and have two years of eligibility remaining.  As a sophomore this past season, he averaged 20.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, while earning both MCAC all-state and MCAC all-division honors for the second straight season.  Following the season he was selected to play in the NJCAA Division II-III All-Star game in Las Vegas, Nev.  A 2008 graduate of Willmar High School, Sussenguth averaged 19.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a senior, while shooting 55 percent from the field, in leading the Cardinals to the state tournament and earning all-tournament honors.

“Casey's length and skill level will allow him to make an impact at the Division II level,” Bigler said.  “His improvement at Ridgewater College was very intriguing during the recruiting process and we look forward to watching Casey blossom here at SMSU.”

Vaughn, a 6-foot-4, forward, from Minneapolis, Minn., will transfer from Minnesota State Community and Technical College-Fergus Falls and have two years of eligibility remaining.  This past season he averaged 9.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game, while earning MCAC all-division honors for the second straight season.  He also earned the team's Defensive Player of the Year and Mr. Toughness awards following the season.  Vaughn finished his two-year career at MSCTC-Fergus Falls ranking second all-time in steals.  A 2008 graduate of Minneapolis Henry High School, Vaughn averaged 12 points and 7 rebounds per game as a senior.

“Jerome's toughness and versatility will allow him to compete early on,” Bigler said.  “While under Coach Retzlaff at MSCTC, Jerome helped lead them to two successful seasons.”

Barnes, a 6-foot, guard, from Watson, Minn., will transfer after playing two seasons at Northern State University.  Barnes will redshirt during the 2010-11 season, per NSIC transfer rules.  Barnes played all 27 games this past season with eight starts.  He averaged 15.8 minutes per game, averaging 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds, while ranking second on the team with 27 steals.  Barnes played in 21 games as a true freshman in 2008-09.  He will have two years of eligibility remaining at SMSU.

“Tramel's decision to transfer back to Southwest will provide us with experience over the next few years,” said Bigler.  “He grew up at SMSU summer camps and it is nice to have him a part of the Mustang family once again.”

Birch, a 5-foot-11, point guard, helped lead Eastview High School in Apple Valley to the Minnesota State Class 4A Tournament this past season.  A three-year letterwinner, Birch was a Mr. Basketball nominee, earning all-conference honors this season, averaging 11 points per game and was named one of the Top 20 players in the state by MinnesotaPreps.com.  He also played in the Minnesota High School All-Star series.  As a junior, Birch was named all-conference, while setting a school record with 158 assists, including dishing out 14 in one game, the second highest in a single-game in school history.  Birch finished the season averaging a team-high 14.7 points per game, while leading the team with 62 steals. 

“Vinard's intensity and energy level will make him a fan favorite early on in his career,” said Bigler.  “He is coming from a great program in Eastview where he helped lead them to the state tournament.  Vinard's toughness and skill level is a compliment to Coach Gerber's system.”

Smith, a 6-foot-9, center, averaged 15.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per games as a senior at Johnston High School.  He was named first team all-conference, first team all-district and third team all-state.  Smith shot 63 percent from the field and averaged 4.2 blocked shots per game.  As a junior, he averaged 10.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, while racking up Class 4A state-high 102 blocked shots.  Smith also shot 51.6 percent from the field, 75.4 percent from the free throw and also connected on 12 three-pointers, while earning all-conference, all-district and Class 4A fifth team all-state by honors from IowaPreps.com.

“Nick's size and skill level will allow him to play next year,” said Bigler.  “The CIML conference is one of the best in the state which will only help with Nick's adjustment to the Division II level.  Nick is among several great players to leave the Johnston program under Coach Sandquist.”

“The roster size will be bigger than normal to provide us with more competition in practice,” said Bigler.  “At the moment we are excited about this class but yet still open to adding few pieces to the puzzle.  I also want to thank (SMSU) assistant coaches Nate Kaeding, Rick Karius and Jon Millea for their hard work during the recruiting process.”

Southwest Minnesota State finished the season with an overall record of 17-11 and finished in sixth place in the NSIC standings with a 10-10 record.  SMSU advanced to the championship game of the NSIC tournament before losing to St. Cloud State in the closing seconds 68-67.  SMSU just missed on making its second straight NCAA tournament appearance.