The Bobcat Nation

Montana State men's basketball coach Mick Durham continued to rebuild his backcourt Tuesday with the addition of Ja'Ron Jefferson, a guard who earned Junior College All-American honors this season at Rose State (Okla.) College.

Durham, who signed heralded combo guard Branden Miller of Colby (Kansas) Community College last fall, said Jefferson will vie for playing time next season with Miller and MSU starting point guard Frank Brown, who will be a junior.

"We felt it might take two guys to replace Jason Erickson," said Durham, referring to the graduated MSU superstar guard.

Erickson was a two-time All-Big Sky Conference performer who started for most of his four years in Bozeman and last season averaged 17 points and a league-high 38 minutes per game.

Jefferson, a 6-foot-1, 180-pounder, averaged 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals at Rose State. He was named to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II All-America squad as a second-team selection.

"Ja'Ron, I just think he's a great fit for us," Durham said. "He plays bigger than he is, he's strong and he's got a good mid-range game."

Durham said his three guards are fine players for different reasons.

"Branden Miller brings us 3-pointers and Frank brings us a burst to take it to the hole," Durham said. "Ja'Ron has the mid-game, the post-up game and the ability to shoot off the dribble. That's what I really like about him."

Durham also recently signed 6-6, 230-pound power forward Marvin Moss of West Hills (Calif.) Junior College. And because the NCAA has rescinded the so-called "5-8 rule," which limited teams to five scholarship recruits in any one year and no more than eight in a two-year period, the Bobcats aren't done recruiting.

The Cats had only 10 players on scholarship last year, three less than is allowed, and lost Erickson and three other scholarship seniors to graduation. When the "5-8 rule" was scrapped, it put Durham in position to sign as many as seven players. Under the old rules he'd have been able to add only three recruits.

Durham said he hopes to sign three of four more athletes in the coming days, but that he's especially pleased with his recruiting so far.

"We're trying to improve our talent level and our quickness, and I think we've done that," said Durham, whose 107 Big Sky victories and 217 triumphs at Montana State are league records. "Marvin Moss was our top (targeted recruit) inside. ... He played center but he's got power forward skills in that he can go outside. I think he's got a great upside.

"Ja'Ron Jefferson does, too. He's a great kid and and a great leader."

Meanwhile, Durham said he is close to finalizing MSU's 2004-05 schedule.

The Bobcats will open the season Nov. 19 at Washington State before traveling to Hawaii for a tournament over Thanksgiving weekend. The Cats face difficult nonconference road tests at San Jose State and Colorado State, take on Wisconsin-Green Bay in Bozeman, and are slated to meet the Wyoming Cowboys in Billings.

The Montana State basketball program became more versatile Tuesday, adding combination guard Ja'Ron Jefferson from the Oklahoma junior college ranks.

Jefferson, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound guard from Rose State College in Oklahoma, has signed a National Letter-of-Intent to join the Bobcat men's team next fall. Jefferson, who can play point or shooting guard, averaged 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals a game at Rose.

"Ja'Ron played both the point and two-guard positions for us, so he's considered a combo guard," Rose coach Calvin Pierce said. "He has a great work ethic. I've been coaching for 18 years, and Ja'Ron would win the award as the hardest working student-athlete I've ever had.

"He loves being in the gym, and he does a great job in the classroom. He's a very intelligent kid with great character."

Pierce also lauded Jefferson's offensive versatility.

"He can hit the three, but he's so strong that when he goes to the hole, the only way to stop him is to foul him," the coach said. "He can score outside, and also take it to the basket."

MSU coach Mick Durham is certainly pleased to get a guard with some college-level experience since All-Big Sky Conference standout Jason Erickson has graduated.

"Ja'Ron can do a lot of things, and I think his stats prove that out," Durham said. "He can score and rebound. He's a very good defensive player because he's so strong. He will give us a lot of versatility, and he makes our backcourt very athletic and pretty deep.

"He's kind of an in-between guard - strong enough to post up and he can knock down a three-pointer," Durham added. "He's a player that can do what the team needs him to do. He's a great person off the court, and we think Ja'Ron is going to fit in very well."

Jefferson is the third player the Bobcats have signed for the 2004-05 season, joining guard Branden Miller and forward Marvin Moss.

Robert,
Thanks for the heads up. I generally don't read the MSU web site
each day so the odds are very good that I would not have noticed this
without you alerting me. I have sent Peter Fields an email asking for a
little more information before I proceed. Thanks again,
Rick Weaver