POCATELLO, Idaho- Idaho State men's basketball coach Joe O'Brien has welcomed four new players to the men's basketball program. Joining the Bengals next year will be a 5-11 point guard in Melvin Morgan, Dejan Kostur a 6-8 forward, Garrett Swanson a 6-7 forward and 6-2 guard Andy Harrington. Morgan and Kostur will both be juniors while Swanson and Harrington will be freshmen.
Morgan comes to ISU after spending two years Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Miss., where he averaged 15.9 points a game, 3.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds a contest.
He shot 41.6 percent from the 3-point line and 73 percent from the free throw line. Morgan was named to the 2011 All-Region 23 Tournament team where he averaged 23.5 points, five rebounds and five assists. Other honors include being named to the NJCAA All-Region 23 team and the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College All-State first-team. He is from Memphis, Tenn., where he prepped at Bolton High School.
“Melvin gives us our best true point guard we've recruited since we've been here,” O'Brien said. “He is a guy we have been watching since high school and someone who looks to pass first and score second. His stock really went up this year.”
Kostur, who is from Melbourne, Australia, played at Triton College and finished third in the nation with a 31-6 record. He averaged eight points and four rebounds a game while shooting 64 percent from the field.
“His numbers aren't that big because they had 10 guys contributing,” O'Brien said. “He can step out and shoot the ball well. He has great bounce and athleticism and he is a very good student.”
Swanson comes to the team from Spokane Mead High School, the same school Adam Morrison prepped at. He averaged 21 points a game and nine rebounds while shooting 46 percent from the 3-point line. Swanson can play the three or four position and he led the GSL in scoring and his team finished fifth as a junior in the Washington State tournament.
“We have been watching him since last summer on the AAU circuit,” O'Brien said. “He is a forward who can step out and shoot the ball really well. We are excited about adding a player in the Spokane area.”
Harrington is from Boise's Bishop Kelly High School where he earned first-team all-state in class 4A while averaging 12 points a game. He also earned first-team all-conference honors as a senior.
“Andy is an Idaho player that we have been looking to add,” O'Brien said. “He is a scoring guard who earned first-team all-state honors. He can shoot the three and he comes from a really good program. We accomplish a couple of different goals by Andy joining our program.”
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