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A-State Men’s Basketball Announces 2018-19 Early Signees

Johnathan Reaves, KASU News

Press release from Arkansas State University.  

Arkansas State head coach Mike Balado announced today that three prospective student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball for the Red Wolves.

Forward Malik Brevard (Sanford, N.C.), guard Larry McLeod (Charlotte, N.C.) and guard Kobe Wilson (Humble, Texas) each signed NLI’s to join the Red Wolves’ program for the 2018-19 season.

Malik Brevard | F | 6-7 | 210 | Charlotte, N.C. | Palm Beach State College

Brevard is coming off his freshman season at Palm Beach State College in which he averaged 6.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. He helped the team, along with fellow signee Larry McLeod, to a 25-6 record in his freshman season and is rated as one of the Top 50 sophomores by JUCO recruiting services. He played in 31 games last season, including 24 as a starter, shooting 58.5 percent from the field and 35.7 percent beyond the arc. He logged a total of 32 assists and 20 steals. Brevard played AAU ball for Team Loaded in North Carolina alongside NBA picks Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat) and Dennis Smith (Dallas Mavericks).

“Malik brings a level of versatility and athleticism that will be exciting to watch next season,” Balado said. “His ability to score and his tenacity to rebound the ball will be a cornerstone for our defense and we are excited to have him here at Arkansas State.”

Larry McLeod | G | 6-5 | 185 | Sanford, N.C. | Palm Beach State College

Alongside fellow signee Malik Brevard, McLeod was a major reason Palm Beach State had a 25-6 record last year and ranked as high as No. 11 in the JUCO rankings. McLeod averaged 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 65.6 percent from the floor. He also logged 50 assists and 26 steals in 29 games which included 20 starts. McLeod played AAU ball for Team Loaded in North Carolina alongside NBA picks Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat) and Dennis Smith (Dallas Mavericks).

“Larry brings a high level of athleticism and excitement to A-State,” Balado said. “His leadership qualities are unique for a player his age and something you do not find in many players. His skillset allows him to play up to three positions on the floor and that will be extremely valuable for us next season. We are excited to have him join us at Arkansas State.”

Kobe Wilson | G | 6-1 | 180 | Humble, Texas | Atascocita HS

Wilson is entering his senior season at Atascocita High School in the Houston area. He helped his squad to a 25-10 record as a junior and 13-1 mark in league play. Recently, Wilson was ranked by Texas recruiting services as one of the Top 40 players in the state and Top 20 players in the Houston area. Playing for the Houston Hoopstars (AAU) this past summer, Wilson averaged 10.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists leading team to a 38-8 record. He spent his sophomore season at Jonesboro (Ark.) High School where he helped the Hurricane to a 24-3 record and an appearance in the 6A state semifinals.

“We are excited to welcome back Kobe and his family to the Jonesboro community,” Balado said. “Kobe spent his freshman and sophomore years at Jonesboro High while his father, Carlos, was an assistant coach here at A-State. Kobe brings a high level of toughness and an ability to stretch the defense with his scoring. We are thrilled that Kobe has chosen to continue his career with us at A-State.”

Johnathan Reaves is the News Director for KASU Public Radio. As part of an Air Force Family, he moved to Arkansas from Minot, North Dakota in 1986. He was first bitten by the radio bug after he graduated from Gosnell High School in 1992. While working on his undergraduate degree, he worked at KOSE, a small 1,000 watt AM commercial station in Osceola, Arkansas. Upon graduation from Arkansas State University in 1996 with a degree in Radio-Television Broadcast News, he decided that he wanted to stay in radio news. He moved to Stuttgart, Arkansas and worked for East Arkansas Broadcasters as news director and was there for 16 years.