|
One of those needs will be point guard, and Gibbons believes he’s filled it with the signing of Palm Beach Community College point guard Tim Downs. Downs officially signed with Clayton State during the NCAA’s early signing period for basketball this month. A native of Greenville, S.C., the 5-foot-9, 190-pound Downs is the floor general for head coach Tony Sheals at Palm Beach CC. Last season, he was an All-South Florida Conference selection as a freshman, averaging 14 points and six assists a game, finishing in the Top 20 in both scoring and assists for the Florida junior college region. He scored 18 points and had 11 assists against traditional NJCAA power Chipola, plus 23 points and six assists against Miami-Dade and 29 points and eight assists against Manattee. So far, this season, Downs is leading the Panthers in scoring, averaging 17 points and seven assists a game. He chose Clayton State over numerous Division I offers, including some from the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. "We are excited to have Tim Downs committing to our program in the early signing period," said Gibbons. "He is an outstanding young man and an excellent player. He will be a great fit in our program and an exciting player to watch." Prior to signing with Palm Beach, Downs enjoyed a decorated prep career at Prince Avenue Prep in Pickens, S.C. He scored a whopping 3, 854 points for his career, including 1,700 points his senior season at Prince Avenue Prep. Downs was the No. 2-ranked player in the state of South Carolina, a two-time All-State selection and Upper State Player of the Year in South Carolina as a senior. |
MORROW,
Ga. – November 21, 2008 –