Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
King, Shuler granted immediate eligibility for 2020-21
7/23/2020 4:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball received a boost recently as spring transfers Elias King and Dontrell Shuler have both been deemed immediately eligible by the NCAA for the 2020-21 basketball season, Head Coach Nick McDevitt announced.
The two players inject additional talent and depth to the squad for the upcoming season as McDevitt will now have at least 12 scholarship players at his disposal. The added depth will be welcomed in Murphy Center, as the Blue Raiders competed with only 10 scholarship players last season and just eight scholarship athletes in 2018-19.
"I'm very happy for both Elias and Dontrell and I know how excited they are to compete this year for the Blue Raiders," McDevitt said. "They are both going to be integral pieces of this team as our program continues moving forward."
King, a 6-foot-8 wing from Atlanta by way of Mississippi State, brings a promising skillset and long, athletic build that made him a consensus 4-star prospect out of high school.
Lindy's Magazine ranked him a Top 125 recruit nationally in the 2019 class while he was the No. 5 prospect in Georgia according to ESPN.
"I am blessed to be eligible to play right away and to be able to showcase my talents as soon as I step on campus," King stated. "It means everything to me that Coach McDevitt and his staff have the confidence in me to let me suit up for the Raiders this year and I can't thank them enough for believing in me. I am very excited and looking forward to having a great season with my new team."
Shuler, a 6-foot-2 guard out of Irmo, S.C., comes to Middle Tennessee from Charleston Southern where he most recently posted a team-high 17.9 points per game in his sophomore campaign.
Some of his top performances as a Buccaneer included outings of 15 points at Michigan State, 24 points at Dayton and an eye-opening career high of 34 points at Hampton in one of his final games at CSU.
"When I received the news about being eligible, I was full of excitement," Shuler said. "I have put in a lot of hard work while facing three surgeries and coping with my father passing away recently, and the game of basketball has become a source of peace throughout it all.
"Without the waiver I felt like life was going to be a struggle, but it's been a dream of mine to play in front of thousands of fans every night and now God has placed me in the perfect position to do that and spread his glory."
King will have three years of eligibility remaining while Shuler will have two years to play in Murfreesboro.
Northwestern transfer Jared Coleman-Jones, a 6-foot-10 post who also originally hails from the Atlanta area, will pursue immediate eligibility for the 2020-21 season, but still awaits a decision from the NCAA at this time.
The two players inject additional talent and depth to the squad for the upcoming season as McDevitt will now have at least 12 scholarship players at his disposal. The added depth will be welcomed in Murphy Center, as the Blue Raiders competed with only 10 scholarship players last season and just eight scholarship athletes in 2018-19.
"I'm very happy for both Elias and Dontrell and I know how excited they are to compete this year for the Blue Raiders," McDevitt said. "They are both going to be integral pieces of this team as our program continues moving forward."
King, a 6-foot-8 wing from Atlanta by way of Mississippi State, brings a promising skillset and long, athletic build that made him a consensus 4-star prospect out of high school.
Lindy's Magazine ranked him a Top 125 recruit nationally in the 2019 class while he was the No. 5 prospect in Georgia according to ESPN.
"I am blessed to be eligible to play right away and to be able to showcase my talents as soon as I step on campus," King stated. "It means everything to me that Coach McDevitt and his staff have the confidence in me to let me suit up for the Raiders this year and I can't thank them enough for believing in me. I am very excited and looking forward to having a great season with my new team."
Shuler, a 6-foot-2 guard out of Irmo, S.C., comes to Middle Tennessee from Charleston Southern where he most recently posted a team-high 17.9 points per game in his sophomore campaign.
Some of his top performances as a Buccaneer included outings of 15 points at Michigan State, 24 points at Dayton and an eye-opening career high of 34 points at Hampton in one of his final games at CSU.
"When I received the news about being eligible, I was full of excitement," Shuler said. "I have put in a lot of hard work while facing three surgeries and coping with my father passing away recently, and the game of basketball has become a source of peace throughout it all.
"Without the waiver I felt like life was going to be a struggle, but it's been a dream of mine to play in front of thousands of fans every night and now God has placed me in the perfect position to do that and spread his glory."
King will have three years of eligibility remaining while Shuler will have two years to play in Murfreesboro.
Northwestern transfer Jared Coleman-Jones, a 6-foot-10 post who also originally hails from the Atlanta area, will pursue immediate eligibility for the 2020-21 season, but still awaits a decision from the NCAA at this time.
Players Mentioned
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