The Moberly Area Community College Men’s Basketball Program has announced the signing of 8 incoming student athletes for the 2022-23 class.
Joining the Greyhounds are:
- Amorey Womack (6’3” soph. guard/St. Louis, MO./Shelton State CC)
- Ade Popoola (6’5” frosh. wing/St. Louis, MO./Parkway North High School)
- Omar Nurr (7’2” soph. post/Toronto, Canada/Highland CC)
- Kai Evans (6’3” frosh. guard/Chicago, IL./Combine Academy)
- John Thomas (6’3” frosh. guard/Baltimore, MD./Patterson HS)
- Jaheim Tanksley (5’10” soph. PG/Edison, NJ/Frank Phillips JC)
- Chris Grubbs (6’6”frosh. forward/Fishers, IN./Scotland Campus Prep)
- Lazar Grbovic (6’8” soph. forward/Serbia/Arkansas State)
Womack played his high school ball at state powerhouse Webster Groves where he averaged 13.5 ppg with 37% from three point range as a senior. He then attended Division I Tennessee State where he averaged 2.8 ppg, 1.7 rebounds with a season high 12 pts. vs. Austin Peay. He played this past season at Shelton State CC(Alabama) where he averaged 4.8 ppg for a 28-4 team with a season high 13 points in the opening game at Hutch.
Popoola had a stellar senior season at Parkway North where he averaged 22.4 ppg, 10 rebounds, 2 assists with a season high 43 points. He was named the Suburban Conference Player of the Year and first Team Missouri All State-Class 5 honors.
Nurr was at Highland CC the past two seasons and averaged 7.2 ppg, 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per contest. Against Moberly in the Orscheln Classic he had 15 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks and recorded five double-doubles for the season.
Evans is a 2021 graduate of Bolingbrook High School (Bolingbrook, IL.) where he averaged 18 ppg his senior season. This past year he played at Combine Prep(NC) where he posted stats of 10.3 ppg, 3 rebounds and 1.4 steals.
Thomas averaged 26.5 points per game at Patterson High School and was named the Baltimore City Player of the Year this past season. He posted a season high of 41 points and 15 rebounds against Poly High School. According to Colby Giacubueno (scouting analyst) “Thomas is a combo guard with size, toughness and scoring ability that translates.”
Tanksley had a very productive two year career at Frank Phillips College(Borger, TX.) where he averaged 16.6 points per game, 2.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists this past season. He was named 2nd Team All Region in the very competitive West Texas Region and posted a season high of 28 points vs. Clarendon.
Grubbs played his high school basketball in Indianapolis where he averaged 18 ppg, 10 rebounds and 6 assists per game his senior season. This past season he played at one of the top Prep schools in the country(Scotland) and posted averages of 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists per contest.
Grbovic is a 6’8”, 240 lb. post who averaged 13.7 points, 9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game over his four seasons of club play in Serbia. During his two seasons at Division I Arkansas State he averaged 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game with a career high of 17 points vs. Crowley’s Ridge.
“WE are very excited about this group of incoming players,” said Coach Patrick Smith, “We obviously lose some very good players from a really good team this year but believe the reloading process has started. Womack is an extremely quick guard who brings experience along with shooting ability. Popoola might be the most underrated of our recruiting class and combines elite athleticism with scoring ability. Nurr has gotten so much better in two years and has the potential to be a major force every game at the rim for us. Evans is a very good slasher who can multiple positions. Thomas has unlimited potential as his high school career displayed and can really score the ball at all three levels. Tanksley has a chance to be one of the better point guards in the country and will be an attack mode to our offense with his superb quickness. Grubbs is a really good all-around point forward who just brings excellent toughness and skill level to our squad. Grbovic is a physical post who can also step out and shoot the three and has two years of Division I experience. Very pleased with our recruiting efforts and the players we’ve added so far but need to finish up with some more good additions as we once again pursue championships.”
Moberly finished 28-7 this past season with championships in NJCAA Region 16, Midwest District and an appearance in the NJCAA Sweet 16.