Story by Zach Scott, Staff writer

Head Coach Matt McMahon signed his fifth recruit to Racer basketball on Thursday, adding to a prolific class of guards.

Murray State signed two forward and three guards to its 2018 class.. The signees included guard DaQuan Smith, from Holly Springs, Mississippi, Coastal Alabama Community College forward Mike Davis, Cleveland, Mississippi forward KJ Williams, John A. Logan guard Jaiveon Eaves and Hopkinsville, Kentucky guard Jalen Johnson. The news of junior guard Byron Hawkins’ transfer opened up one more scholarship spot for Murray State to fill before the 2018-19 season.

DaQuan Smith: 6’2” Guard

Smith finished his high school career at Holly Springs High School as his school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,096 career points. Smith is also the highest ranked point guard in Mississippi in the 2018 recruiting class according to 247Sports.

McMahon said he expects Smith to make a tremendous impact on the court next season.

“We are extremely excited to welcome DaQuan and his family to Murray State,” said McMahon. “DaQuan is a very explosive scorer with great athleticism at the guard position.  He can really shoot the three with NBA range, and also excels as a creative scorer off the dribble. Off the court, DaQuan is a good student and the president of his class at Holly Springs. He is going to make a tremendous impact in our program, both on and off the basketball court.”

Smith averaged 21.8 points per game during his tenure at Holly Springs, including his junior campaign where he averaged a career-high 26.3 points per game.

“DaQuan is a high-character young man,” said Holly Springs’ Head Coach Sylvester Kilgore. “He’s a leader on the court and off it. He’s got explosive athletic ability and can score at a high rate. He’s got a great jump shot and has great range for the college game.”

Mike Davis: 6’7” Forward

Tyshawn “Mike” Davis is joining the Racers after spending the first two years of his collegiate career at Coastal Alabama Community College.

“Mike is a versatile and highly-skilled player,” McMahon said. “His character, work ethic, and love of the game really stood out to our coaching staff. He’s an effective scorer around the basket who can also stretch the floor from 3-point range and make plays off the dribble. Mike fits our style of play extremely well.”

Davis averaged right around 16 points and eight rebounds per game for Coastal Alabama last season. Davis shot 54 percent from the field last year, including a 48 percent clip from the 3-point line.

“Mike has a versatile game,” Coastal Alabama Head Coach Will Brown said. “He can play with his back to basket, put it on the floor and shoot the three. He is one of the best kids I’ve coached and has a desire to learn and improve; he’s hungry to win. He comes from a strong family background and his family exudes in him.

KJ Williams: 6’8” Forward

 Kamarian “KJ” Williams will join the Racers following a superb senior season for Cleveland Central High School where he averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds per game.

“KJ has great size and athleticism for his position,” McMahon said. “We love his ability to rebound and protect the rim and offensively, he’s another forward who can shoot the ball from the perimeter. With his tremendous upside, we look forward to getting him in our player development program starting this summer.”

Williams led Cleveland Central to a 23-9 record his senior season and helped carry them to the second round of the Mississippi Class 5A State Tournament.

“KJ is a very respectful young man and humble,” Cleveland Central Head Coach Bernard Berryhill said. “He has all the tools to play the game. He moves with a fluidity that someone his size doesn’t usually have. Our school was new, and we moved from a 3A classification and up to 5A, and I thought KJ learned how to play against a higher level of competition. I regret that I only had him one season because he was a joy to coach.”

Jaiveon Eaves: 6’2” Guard

The Madisonville, Kentucky native, Jaiveon Eaves, will return to his home state following a two-year stint with John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jaiveon Eaves to the Murray State family,” McMahon said. “Jaiveon had an outstanding sophomore season at John A. Logan, earning second-team All-American honors. We love his ability to score the ball in a variety of ways, his consistency from behind the 3-point arc, and his toughness at the defensive end of the floor.”

Eaves averaged 16.1 points per game his sophomore year at John A. Logan College, leading his team to a 26-6 record and ranked No. 22 in the NJCAA rankings. Eaves shot 48 percent from the floor including a 44 percent clip from the 3-point line.

“He was outstanding by any definition,” John A. Logan coach Kyle Smithpeters said. “Jaiveon came in with 13 new players and did a great job of establishing himself as a hard worker and team leader. He had a teacher’s mentality, in that he wanted guys to buy in and improve. We have a lot of players come through, but there aren’t many that have pulled the reins like he did.”

Jalen Johnson: 6’1” Guard

Jalen Johnson, the last of the five to sign with the Racers, averaged 18 points per game during his career with the Hopkinsville Tigers. Johnson was a prominent figure on a Hopkinsville team that made the Kentucky Sweet 16 three times, advancing to the quarterfinals twice.

“We are excited to announce the addition of Jalen Johnson to the Murray State program following his outstanding career at Hopkinsville,” McMahon said. “Offensively, Jalen brings play-making skills off the dribble, the ability to attack off ball screens, and excellent 3-point shooting. Defensively, we like his ability to pressure the basketball along with the toughness and competitiveness he brings to the team.”

Johnson finished his career at Hopkinsville High School with 1,663 points under his belt. Johnson will participate in the Kentucky/Indiana All-Star game this summer.

“Jalen is a great kid, and he does it in the classroom and on the court,” Hopkinsville Head Coach Tim Haworth said. “He’s going to work hard and do whatever it takes to be the best he can be. The bigger the game, the better he plays.”