Coach Donny Daniels' whirlwind first basketball recruiting effort for Cal State Fullerton is finished, and it appears he did about as well as could be expected after taking over for Bob Hawking in late April.
"Coming in as late as I did, I'm pretty pleased with the talent I was able to assemble," Daniels said.
The Titans will have seven new players on campus when fall classes begin this month. However, one of them, point guard Derick Andrew of Rancho Cucamonga High, will have to sit out his freshman season as a Proposition 48 nonqualifier, Daniels said.
Replacing point guard Kenroy Jarrett, who completed his eligibility, will be the most pressing need. The team's other top point guard last season was Rodney Anderson, who was critically wounded in a random shooting near his home in Los Angeles before the final game last season.
But, Daniels said, "I think we addressed the backcourt issue with the guards we recruited."
Chris Smith of San Bernardino Pacific and junior transfer David Castleton, who played at Orange Coast College and Mater Dei High, are expected to be leading contenders to replace Jarrett.
Castleton, a walk-on because Fullerton cannot give scholarships to community college players as part of its NCAA probation penalty, also could contend for the shooting guard spot with incoming freshman Ryan Dillon of Victor Valley High and junior Brandon Campbell. Campbell started most of last season at small forward.
Two other recruits, 6-8 Keith Brooks of Compton Dominguez and 6-7 Joe Travis of Long Beach Poly, are expected to help immediately at forward. Daniels said forward Kevin Richardson, who averaged 14 points last season at Treasure Valley College in Ontario, also will join as a walk-on.
"Injuries inside hurt last year, but hopefully we'll have more depth there this season," Daniels said.
Whether top scorer Ike Harmon will return remains unsettled. Under an NCAA rule change approved last spring, Harmon can regain the year of eligibility he lost his freshman year as a nonqualifier if he graduates on schedule this summer. But that won't be determined until after classes end on Aug. 18.
"Ike is making normal progress, and if he continues on track and there are no pitfalls, he should be eligible," Daniels said.
Center Matt Caldwell, who played in only seven games last season because of a shoulder injury that required surgery, has been cleared to start lifting weights again, and has played in some pickup games this summer.
