The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Davis Announces Two Signees For 2007-08 Class
11/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 15, 2006
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB head coach Mike Davis announced the signing of two UAB men's basketball players for the 2007-08 campaign. Keenan Ellis, a 6-11 forward from Indianapolis, Ind., and Aaron Johnson, a 5-7 point guard from Chicago, Ill., are the newest members of the Blazers basketball program.
"These two signees are huge for us," Davis said. "Keenan is a monster inside and a great athletic player who can shoot and post. Aaron is a super quick point guard and exciting player to watch. Our coaching staff did a great job recruiting both of these guys and we are excited for them to join the UAB program."
Ellis is listed as the 17th-best center in the nation according to Rivals.com, and No. 70 overall recruit in the nation according to Youth Prep Star Magazine. Last season, Ellis was listed as a Nike All-American, and picked UAB over other schools such as Cincinnati, Syracuse, Tennessee and Louisville, among others.
 Keenan Ellis.  |
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His current coach at American Christian Acadamy, Tony Bergeron, feels UAB got a steal with Ellis.
"Keenan is a seven-foot power forward and not a center by any stretch," Bergeron said. "He is a great shot-blocker, can shoot on the perimeter and handles the ball well. He is going to be a stat-sheet filler. He is an unselfish kid and a very hard worker."
Davis echoed Bergeron's sentiments and is very excited to have him join UAB.
"Keenan is going to become a fun player to watch," Davis said. "We feel Keenan will have an instant impact. He's tall, can shoot, rebound, block shots and most importantly he has won everywhere he's been."
Like Ellis, Johnson should make an immediate impact as a Blazer. Johnson is a member of the top-25 Illinois players for the 2007 class, listed at No. 16 in the state according to rivals.com. Furthermore, he was listed as one of the top five point guards in the city of Chicago. Rivals described Johnson as an up-and-coming player who can take over in the scoring column and will help Davis immediately. Johnson chose to come to UAB over Marquette, UW Milwaukee and Evansville, among others.
 Aaron Johnson. |
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"Aaron is a very quick and athletic player," Davis said. "He is another player who we feel will be able to help us out immediately. In this system, we need a floor leader and a smart player and we got both of those assets in Aaron.
"Both Aaron and Keenan are big-time recruits and we couldn't be more excited to have them as Blazers," Davis continued. "They both fit what we are trying to do and both will help us get to that next level."
