Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Men's Hoops adds Georgia prep duo
11/9/2017 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Buffen, Fagan sign with Blue Raiders
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee head men's basketball coach Kermit Davis announced the signing of a pair of Georgia prep standouts Thursday that will join the Blue Raiders for the 2018-19 season.
Gainesville High School's KJ Buffen and Upson Lee High School's Tye Fagan each signed national letters of intent on Wednesday to mark three straight years that Davis has landed a player from the prep ranks in Georgia. The duo are both expected to have big senior years in the Peach State as Preseason First Team All-State selections on teams that are among the favorites for the state title in their respective classes.
Buffen, a 6-foot-7 forward, averaged 12 points and eight rebounds during his junior season at Gainesville, but was limited after an ankle injury early in the season before returning to full strength towards the end of the year.
The Gainesville, Ga., native is rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN and ranks among the Top 15 recruits out of Georgia in the 2018 signing class. Buffen received over 20 scholarship offers from NCAA Division I programs including ACC member Georgia Tech and fellow mid-major power Wichita State.
"KJ was a big target for us," Davis said. "He's just very prototypical of the hybrid four men that we've had. He's still only 17 years old and weighs 220 pounds. He's very skilled, really tough, and I think in college he's going to be able to make 17 footers and 3-point shots for us. He plays for an excellent high school coach right now in Benjie Wood at Gainesville and has a great foundation."
Fagan, a 6-foot-3 guard, finished his junior season at Upson Lee averaging 22 points, seven rebounds and 3.7 assists per outing and led the Knights to the GHSA Class AAAA state championship with a 20-point outing. He was awarded First Team All-State honors from AJC, GACA and Score Atlanta and was named the GHSA Class AAAA Player of the Year in 2017.
The Thomaston, Ga., native is a consensus three-star prospect who chose Middle Tennessee over Georgia, South Florida, College of Charleston and Arkansas State among others. Fagan, like Buffen, lands among the Top 15 recruits out of Georgia in the 2018 class.
"Tye led his team to a state championship and shows all of the characteristics that make up a strong leader, and he is a guy that can play multiple positions for us," Davis said. "He can shoot, is very good with the ball and is a very tough player on the court."
Buffen and Fagan represent two of the more highly rated high school signees the Blue Raiders have landed under Davis, no doubt a result of the championship tradition the 16-year head coach has built in Murfreesboro as the Raiders have tallied seven conference titles in eight years and appeared in three of the last five NCAA Tournaments.
"Our national brand is starting to increase more and more and obviously Tye and KJ had seen us play a bunch and loved how we've won and had great experience in March," Davis said. "I think that has a direct correlation to us being able to attract more quality players like both of these guys."
Gainesville High School's KJ Buffen and Upson Lee High School's Tye Fagan each signed national letters of intent on Wednesday to mark three straight years that Davis has landed a player from the prep ranks in Georgia. The duo are both expected to have big senior years in the Peach State as Preseason First Team All-State selections on teams that are among the favorites for the state title in their respective classes.
Buffen, a 6-foot-7 forward, averaged 12 points and eight rebounds during his junior season at Gainesville, but was limited after an ankle injury early in the season before returning to full strength towards the end of the year.
The Gainesville, Ga., native is rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN and ranks among the Top 15 recruits out of Georgia in the 2018 signing class. Buffen received over 20 scholarship offers from NCAA Division I programs including ACC member Georgia Tech and fellow mid-major power Wichita State.
"KJ was a big target for us," Davis said. "He's just very prototypical of the hybrid four men that we've had. He's still only 17 years old and weighs 220 pounds. He's very skilled, really tough, and I think in college he's going to be able to make 17 footers and 3-point shots for us. He plays for an excellent high school coach right now in Benjie Wood at Gainesville and has a great foundation."
Fagan, a 6-foot-3 guard, finished his junior season at Upson Lee averaging 22 points, seven rebounds and 3.7 assists per outing and led the Knights to the GHSA Class AAAA state championship with a 20-point outing. He was awarded First Team All-State honors from AJC, GACA and Score Atlanta and was named the GHSA Class AAAA Player of the Year in 2017.
The Thomaston, Ga., native is a consensus three-star prospect who chose Middle Tennessee over Georgia, South Florida, College of Charleston and Arkansas State among others. Fagan, like Buffen, lands among the Top 15 recruits out of Georgia in the 2018 class.
"Tye led his team to a state championship and shows all of the characteristics that make up a strong leader, and he is a guy that can play multiple positions for us," Davis said. "He can shoot, is very good with the ball and is a very tough player on the court."
Buffen and Fagan represent two of the more highly rated high school signees the Blue Raiders have landed under Davis, no doubt a result of the championship tradition the 16-year head coach has built in Murfreesboro as the Raiders have tallied seven conference titles in eight years and appeared in three of the last five NCAA Tournaments.
"Our national brand is starting to increase more and more and obviously Tye and KJ had seen us play a bunch and loved how we've won and had great experience in March," Davis said. "I think that has a direct correlation to us being able to attract more quality players like both of these guys."
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