ANDERSON, S.C. - Anderson head men's basketball coach Jason Taylor has announced the signing of Alani Adekambi out of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Fla. and Larry (LJ) Erves, Jr. from Fayetteville, Ga., to national letters of intent.
Adekambi, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard, averaged 11.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks for head coach Enrique Lorenzo's Explorers last season. Described by Lorenzo as the "heart" of the team during his senior campaign, Adekambi helped lead Columbus to a 29-4 overall record, a District 15-6A Championship, a Region 4-6A Championship and a FHSAA 6A State tournament semifinal appearance.
He was a three-year starter for the Explorers, earning third-team all-county accolades by the Miami Herald.
"Alani is a multi-talented player on both ends of the floor," said Lorenzo. "He is a warrior who plays the game with incredible passion and effort. As team captain, Alani set the tone for our squad and provided direction, leadership, passion, and a relentless work ethic."
Erves is a 6-foot-5 guard who averaged 12 points and six rebounds, while helping Fayette County to a stellar 30-3 overall record and an appearance in the GHSA Final Four in Class AAAA basketball last season, where the Tigers suffered a narrow 66-64 setback to Rockdale County. Erves recorded a career-high seven dunks in one game in the first round of the state playoffs versus Northside High School.
The Tigers were ranked as high as No. 9 in the state by MaxPreps.com and posted a perfect 12-0 record in conference play.
"LJ was one of the most athletic basketball players I have coached in more than 20 years," said Fayette County head coach Andre Flynn. "If LJ continues to improve, the sky is the limit. He is very talented."
"My assistant coaches, Ryan Hilburn and William Monts, did a great job putting this recruiting class together," said Taylor. "I could not be more thrilled with this class. Alani and LJ are both big, strong, versatile and athletic guards with huge upsides. These two keep a recurring theme with the rest of our class of being very good players that are great fits for Anderson University. They come from great programs ran by very good coaches. I am excited about coaching these young men."
