Courtesy of Alex Lehmbeck, Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Communicatio, Norfolk State Athletics
Norfolk State men’s basketball head coach Robert Jones has finalized the Spartans’ 2024 recruiting class, featuring five talented transfers and two freshmen.
The group includes four guards: My’Kel Jenkins, Brian Moore Jr., Sin’Cere McMahon, and Dramane Camera. Forwards Christian Barrett, Jalen Myers, and Rodney Baines round out the class.
“I’m very excited about this year’s recruiting class,” Jones said. “We have added perimeter shooting depth which was desperately needed last year. We have also added length and athleticism. I can’t wait to coach this team.”
Norfolk State’s newcomers, listed alphabetically:
Rodney Baines [Norfolk, Va. / Lake Taylor HS]
Forward | 6-8 | Freshman
Named 2023-24 Eastern District Player of the Year and Class III Region A Player of the Year … All-Tidewater First Team … Helped lead Lake Taylor to state championship game … First-team All-Class 3 … Averaged 19 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game as a senior … Recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds in the state title game … Posted 25 points and eight rebounds in win over Manor.
Jones: “Melo Baines is a local star who we hope can blossom into the next NSU star. Good size and great hands for a young 6-8 big.”
Christian Barrett [Houston, Texas / Lamar]
Forward | 6-6 | Senior
Played one year at Lamar … Averaged 7.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game while shooting 62-of-113 (54.9 percent) from the floor … Scored career-high 17 points at Nicholls with 12 rebounds, then again with 10 rebounds at McNeese four days later …Pulled down career-best 13 rebounds against Abilene Christian.
Jones: “CB has a great national headline story, with him being in the military for five years. He brings great physicality and maturity to the team.”
Dramane Camara [Paris, France / DePaul]
Guard | 6-6 | Paris, France
Played just one season at DePaul … Rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports coming out of NBA Academy Africa, ranked No. 140 overall and the No. 22 shooting guard in the class … Appeared in ten games as a freshman, recording six points, two rebounds, and two assists … Scored first point of collegiate career at Villanova … Pulled down two rebounds against Creighton … One of 12 NBA Academy Africa prospects selected to the Basketball Africa League Elevate program.
Jones: “Dramane brings us size and shooting on the perimeter. He also has been around a high level of basketball with NBA Africa and in the Big East with DePaul.”
My’Kel Jenkins [Tarboro, N.C. / Woodside HS]
Guard | 6-5 | Freshman
All-Peninsula District First Team selection … Led Woodside to back-to-back state championships … Held offers from Georgia State, Radford, Richmond, and Ohio … Tallied 14 points in state title game … Paced Wolverines with 16 points in 65-41 win over Menchville … Scored 21 points against Princess Anne in state quarterfinal as a junior.
Jones: “My’Kel down the line will be one of the future pillars of NSU basketball. Great size and great skill.”
[Indianapolis, Ind. / Winthrop]
Guard | 6-0 | Graduate
Averaged 14.4 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game as a junior … Scored career-high 35 points at UNC Asheville, shooting 10-of-18 from the floor (4-of-8 from three) and 11-of-13 from the free throw line … The performance marked the fourth-most by an Eagle in a conference road game in program history … Shot 90-of-98 (91.8 percent) from the free throw line that season, ranking first in the Big South and 11th nationally … Tallied 23 points at Campbell, then scored 22 points when the teams met again a month later.
Jones: “Sin’Cere is a combo guard that can really shoot it and makes great reads off of pick and rolls.”
Brian Moore Jr. [Harlem, N.Y. / Murray State]
Guard | 6-2 | Graduate
Averaged 9.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game last year at Murray State … Shot 94-of-202 from the floor (46.5 percent) … Scored career high 25 points against Belmont as a junior … Ranked sixth in MVC from the free throw line at .821 (69-of-84) that year … Reached 1,500-point mark in his career … Played previously at Northeastern … Oklahoma A&M, becoming an NJCAA D-I All-American by averaging 21.3 points and 5.2 assists per game.
Jones: “Brian and Sin’Cere will help replace the scoring punch we had last year with Jamarii Thomas and Allen Betrand. They both come to NSU with good stats from good programs. Brian is a downhill strong capable scorer.”
Jalen Myers [Huntsville, Ala. / UT Martin]
Forward | 6-8 | Graduate
Spent two years at UT Martin … Averaged 5.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game last season, shooting 32-of-38 (84.2 percent) from the free throw line … Scored career-high 23 points in just 19 minutes against Champion Christian, shooting 11-of-13 from the floor … Tallied 18 points against Crowley’s Ridge on a 7-of-9 shooting day … Recorded 21 points, six rebounds, and five assists last year vs. Ecclesia … Named MACCC MVP while at Hinds CC.
Jones: “Jalen was a microwave at UT Martin with six points per game and three rebounds per game in only 12 minutes per contest. We look forward to having him in an expanded role.”
