April 25, 2008

Staten Island, NY - High-scoring combination guard Chris Martin of Sicklerville, NJ has signed a National Letters of Intent to continue his education and basketball career at Wagner College, head men's basketball coach Mike Deane announced today.

Martin completes the Seahawks' four-man recruiting class as he joins three other outstanding student-athletes, Tyler Murray (Toronto, Ontario), Josh Thompson (Bridgeton, NJ) and Ryan Schrotenboer (Fort Myers, FL), who signed National Letters of Intent with Wagner during the early signing period last November.

The four recruits will enroll at Wagner in the fall and will be freshmen on the 2008-2009 Seahawk team. Deane guided Wagner to a school-record in single-season victories this past season as the Seahawks went 23-8 and finished in second place in the NEC with a mark of 13-3. During this milestone season, Deane became just the 28th active coach to surpass the 400 career win mark.

"I am very excited about this class and its potential. It's a class that was brought in with the idea to fit comfortably within a new concept of play in our team," said Deane. "In conjunction with the three-point line being set back by a foot (from 19 feet, 9 inches to 20 feet, 9 inches beginning in 2008-09), we are going to play more zone. With the idea of the zone concept, we'd also like to become more of a pressing team. We were looking for a class that emphasizes size, strength and intelligence and I believe that these four men possess these qualities."

Chris Martin

Chris Martin (Winslow Township HS/Apex Academies) is a talented 6-0, 190-pound combo guard who starred at Winslow where he played for his father, Chris Martin, Sr., before spending a post-graduate year at Apex Academies in Pennsauken, NJ where he teamed with five other Division I signees.

Despite missing a portion of the season due to a bout with mono, Martin averaged 15.7 points and 6.2 assists in helping to lead Apex to a 26-2 record and a top 10 national prep ranking. At Apex, Martin was teammates with the heralded Morris twins, Markieff and Marcus, a pair of 6-10 forwards who are both headed to play for national champion Kansas.

"Chris came to us as a scorer because in high school, that's what he had to do. But playing on such a talented team here, he had to become more of an opportunist in terms of his scoring and he had to get his teammates involved," said Rich Marcucci, the Vice-President of Apex Academies. "He became a more rounded guard here and also a better finisher around the basket. And he can flat-out shoot it."

At Winslow Township, Martin averaged 19.6 in guiding the Eagles to a 25-5 record his senior season, following a junior season where he scored 15.1 points per game for a 17-10 team.

"Wagner is getting themselves a good one in Chris Martin," said Jay Gomes, editor of NJHoops.com. "He's a terrific offensive player."

The last three teams Martin has played on have combined for a 68-17 record, an .800 winning percentage. Martin is looking forward to his winning ways continuing at Wagner.

"I know they had a great season this past year and they play a style that fits my game," he said. "They like to get up and down the floor and they play tight defense and that's my game. I just felt really comfortable with the coaching staff at Wagner, the location is great, not too far from home. The academics are excellent. You can't beat it."

The three prior commitments also hail from winning, tradition-rich high school programs and are also excellent and mature student-athletes. They come from diverse locales and backgrounds a well as Deane and his hard-working staff canvassed the entire Eastern seaboard in search of the right mix of academic acumen, high character and basketball ability. The Seahawk staff pointed North to Canada for one prospect, attracted a local prep star from South Jersey and reached all the way down to the West Coast of Florida for a third commitment.

Tyler Murray

Tyler Murray is a gifted 6-4, 190-pound guard from Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute Toronto, Ontario. An explosive athlete, he is versatile enough to play point guard, shooting guard or small forward.

He is coming off a stellar senior season where he averaged 15.3 points, 6.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game in guiding Eastern Commerce to a sparkling 38-5 record. Following the season, Murray was named to the South Region District All-Star team by the Tornoto Star. He competed in the prestigious Jordan Canadian All-Star Game, which features the top 20 seniors in Canada, and he distinguished himself by scoring 17 points and dishing out five assists.

As a junior, Murray averaged 13 points, five rebounds and five assists in helping lead the Saints to a 38-4 record last season for head coach Kevin Jeffers, who was effusive in praise of his prized pupil.

"Tyler is a heck of a kid. He's a great leader on the floor and in the classroom," said Jeffers. "He's the type of kid who is going to give his all every time out and is very excited to be going to Wagner. He's a great shooter, a hard-nosed defender and he's a big guard who can break you down, yet he's athletic. Tyler can really get up and he'll slam it on your head. What Wagner is getting is a quality young man and a terrific basketball player."

An honor student, Murray was a member of the Nike Canadian Elite Team last summer at the Nike Global Challenge in Portland, OR. He also starred for the Toronto Mission AAU Team. Despite being recruited by a host of colleges, Murray says Wagner was his clear-cut favorite all along.

"Wagner recruited me the strongest," he said. "They showed the most loyalty and the most interest. When I visited the school, I fell in love with the small campus environment. I want to attend a school where I'm known by name, not by a bar code. "I am very excited about the prospect of being a big piece of an emerging program and enrolling in a great Business Administration Internship Program at Wagner."

Ryan Schrotenboer

Ryan Schrotenboer is a physical and skilled post player from Bishop Verot HS in Fort Myers, FL who is still growing and has a frame that will undoubtedly add more mass and muscle once exposed to the Seahawk strength and conditioning program.

Younger in age than most in the class of 2008, Schrotenboer possesses excellent footwork and is an advanced rebounder and defender. As a senior, Schrotenboer averaged 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in leading Bishop Verot to a 16-11 record and to its third consecutive district title.

As a junior, Schrotenboer played on a senior-laden 23-6 District Champion team that featured three other future Division I players, and averaged 8.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He poured in a career-high 24 points vs. Berekely Prep and had a pair of 11-rebound games.

"Ryan is an extremely hard worker and has a big upside. He's a true five man who likes being physical and likes being that blue collar worker down low," said his high school coach, Matt Herting. "Ryan is all about the program. He wants to do whatever he can to help his team win. That's what he's all about. He's very coachable and very efficient in the post. He has great hands. In a couple years, Ryan is going to be a great player and a big contributor to Wagner basketball."

Schrotenboer will travel the furthest distance of the three and, like his two future teammates, cannot wait to begin his collegiate career. It was the allure of New York City, in combination with Wagner's excellent academic reputation and well-respected coaching staff, that helped him in his decision to become a Seahawk.

"When I went up there on my official visit, I thought it was just a great place," Schrotenboer said. "I said to myself, `This is a place I could see myself spending the next four years.' Coach Deane is awesome and the team has just a great bunch of guys. I plan on majoring in business administration and you can't beat all of the internship and job opportunities in New York City.

Josh Thompson

Josh Thompson was a standout at St. Augustine Prep in Richland, NJ, a program that also produced recent Seahawk greats Durell Vinson and Mark Porter.

"Josh is an athletic wing and a very good player," said Gomes. "He can play the two or the three and I think he's a really good get for Wagner."

One of the top athletes in New Jersey, the explosive Thompson averaged 15.7 points per game in leading the Hermits to a 21-7 record. He was the Daily Journal Player of the Year, named to the Atlantic City Press All-Star Team, a First-Team All-South Jersey choice by the Philadelphia Inquirer, a Third-Team All-South Jersey selection by The Star-Ledger and was tabbed All-Atlantic County by NJHoops.com.

As a junior, Thompson averaged 11.3 points per game on the hardwood and also had more than 20 receptions on the grid iron. The list of colleges and universities recruiting him for football and basketball was long and impressive.

"I've been pretty good friends with Mike Deane since before he was at Wagner," said St. Augustine Prep head coach Paul Rodio, one of the most successful high school coaches in New Jersey, who has helped a host of student-athletes earn scholarships through the years. "He likes our kids. Both Mark (Porter) and Durell (Vinson) have done well there. Josh is a good one. This year, we're looking for him to be a leader. We think he can be one of those take-over-the-game guys."

Thompson's list of football suitors included Rutgers, Boston College and Penn State, among others. A member of the Atlantic City Press All-Star basketball team as a junior where helped lead the Hermits to a 19-8 record, Thompson said there were various factors that led to his choosing Wagner.

"Seeing Durell and Mark from my high school doing well there and enjoying themselves, that made an impression," said Thompson. "Plus, the coaching staff was real honest and straightforward with me. Coach Deane reminds me of Coach Rodio. He told me what I have to work on to get better. The players were great on my visit and they made me feel very welcome. Also, the campus is really nice. I like the academics and plan on majoring in accounting or business."