BAXTER JR. SIGNS WITH RUNNIN’ REBELS
Four-star, top-100 player will be eligible to play as a freshman this season
The UNLV men’s basketball program has received a signed financial aid agreement from Troy Baxter Jr., head coach Marvin Menzies announced Tuesday.
Baxter Jr., a 6-foot-8-inch forward from Tallahassee, Fla., was rated a four-star prospect by ESPN and Rivals, and ranked 90th in the ESPN Top 100 as a senior last season at Oldsmar (Fla.) Christian High School. He will be a freshman at UNLV and eligible to play this season (2016-17).
“Securing a commitment at this late date obviously puts us in a favorable position because of Troy’s level of talent and his character,” Menzies said. “The fact that he will be able to help us immediately this season is phenomenal. I know he enjoyed the city and everything that our university and the program has to offer, but the chemistry he had with the players on our roster was really the pivotal point in his commitment.
“We are really excited that Troy has joined the Rebel family and look forward to having him. He is an exciting player to watch. His greatest strengths are his athleticism and his energy, which is infectious. It was clear after visiting with him that he has a great passion for the game and should develop nicely here within our system.”
Baxter Jr. averaged 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks as a senior at Oldsmar Christian. He also won the American Family Insurance High School Slam Dunk Contest in April.
“I was really impressed with Coach Menzies and his vision for the future,” Baxter Jr. told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week.
“Coach Menzies and his staff treated us really well,” said Troy Baxter Sr., who was in Las Vegas with his son visiting UNLV. “The entire athletics department accepted us immediately and we had a chance to view the campus and see what the university has to offer. Academically, in the classroom, and athletically, on the court, it is just a perfect fit.”
