April 16, 2008

Pocatello, ID --- Coming off of a season in which Idaho State's men's basketball team lost just one of their top eight scorers and finished fourth place and made it all the way to the Big Sky semifinals, head coach Joe O'Brien knew a couple of good recruits could make a major difference for the Bengal fortunes in 2008-09. ISU men's basketball got a couple and then some, as the Bengals inked four highly-touted junior college transfers for the 2008-09 season, four that give ISU size, depth, and talent, making ISU a potential front-runner next season.

The Bengals signed Kal Bay and Felix Caspari out of the College of Eastern Utah, David Busma out of Western Nebraska Junior College, and Phyllip Taylor out of Manatee Community College. Bay and Taylor are guards, while Caspari is a 6-8 forward, and Busma is a 7-0, 240 pound center. The signings transform Idaho State's roster into the deepest one in years. The signings were announced at a press conference

"This morning I received (by FAX) the four signed NLI's we sent out over the weekend. We are very excited about the talent, skill, and depth the 2008 class will bring to ISU Basketball," said Joe O'Brien prior to the press conference. "As of today, I believe we have successfully met 80% of our projected needs for the 2008-2009 season."

Bay and Caspari were teammates last year at the College of Eastern Utah, helping the Golden Eagles to a 17-15 mark and a third place finish in the Scenic West Athletic Conference under head coach Chris Craig. Caspari (kas PAR ee) started 26 of 29 games for CEU, and he was second on the team in scoring last season, averaging 12.3 points per game and he also was second in rebounding at 8.0 boards per contest, including a team-high 93 on the offensive glass, over three per game. He shot .624 from the field, going 131-for -210. He scored a season-high of 24 points against Western Wyoming, and he twice grabbed 16 boards in a game, and Laramie County and the College of Southern Idaho. He was an honorable mention All-Scenic West pick as a sophomore. Caspari, who is from Sao Paulo, Brazil, went to high school at Porto Seguro in Brazil.

Bay last season with the College of Eastern Utah started in 16 of 29 games as a point guard, and he was third on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game. He led the Golden Eagles with 82 assists, and he was superb from beyond the arc, going 75-for-163, a .460 clip. Bay was also outstanding from the line, shooting .877 for the season, and he added 20 steals as well. Bay only played one year at Eastern Utah, having transferred there from the University of Colorado, where he played under Ricardo Patton. At CU, Bay averaged 6.3 points per game as a part-time starter, averaging over 21.5 minutes per game. He shot .355 from three-point range and .786 from the free throw line as well. Twice he scored a season-high 21 points in a game, against Central Florida and Oklahoma State. He was a first team All-State pick and Conference Player of the Year at Marcos Deniza High School in Chandler, Arizona.

Busma is a highly coveted big man from Western Nebraska Community College, and he originally hails from Klaipeda, Lithuania. David, whose given name is Deividas, is a 7-0, 240 center who played last season at WNCC under former Bengal Brian Joyce. Busma played in all 31 games, averaging 9.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He shot .524 (119-of-227) from the field. Busma got better and stronger as his sophomore year went on, scoring in double-figures in 18 games, including 14 of his final 17. He had nine double-doubles, and he had 12 double-digit rebounding games, including a pair of 20-rebound efforts and a 19-rebound game as well.

Taylor is a 6-3, 175 pound guard out of Manatee Community College in Florida, although he originally hails from Saginaw, Michigan. Last year under coach Reggie Bellamy, he played in 29 games, averaging 15.0 points per game and 7.0 boards. Taylor shot well from the field at .465 (121-for-260), scoring a season-high of 27 points against Daytona Beach Community College. Taylor was a First Team All-Sun Coast Conference selection as well as an NJCAA Region 8 All-Tournament Team pick. On February 17th, he was the Florida Community College Athletic Association Player of the Week after averaging 22.5 points and 9.0 boards). The selection is significant as the FCCAA consists of 21 schools.

O'Brien, who was recently inducted into the NJCAA Basketball Hall of Fame, added, "Our ability to score inside and from the perimeter, to rebound the basketball, and to defend - all improved today, as well as our depth. With eight returning experienced players and the addition of these four young men we are now only one player away from completing our 2008-09 roster. We took a big step forward towards our goal of winning a Big Sky Championship this morning." O'Brien addressed the one open scholarship slot remaining as well. "Our final scholarship will be filled with a high school guard and we are optimistic that will happen within the next two weeks."

The 2008-09 season opens officially on Friday, November 14 when the Bengals host Eastern Oregon University.

2008-09 Idaho State Men's Basketball Roster
No	Name	       Pos	Ht	Wt	Cl	Ex	Hometown (School)
 1	Amorrow Morgan	G	6-5	205	Jr	2VL	Memphis, TN (Patterson Prep/Cordova HS)
14	Lucas Steijn	C	6-10	230	Sr	1VL	Muiderberg, The Netherlands (John A. Logan JC/Indiana/Notre Dame Academy)
20	Donnie Carson	G	6-2	205	Jr	2VL	Detroit, MI (Livonia Clarenceville HS)
21	Demetrius Monroe F/C	6-8	200	Jr	2VL	San Diego, CA (Cathedral HS)
23	Austin Kilpatrick G	6-6	205	Jr	2VL	Puyallup, WA (Puyallup HS)
25	Chron Tatum	F	6-8	220	Jr	1VL	Atlanta, GA (Riverside CC/Orborne HS)
31	Matt Stucki	G	6-6	205	Sr	3VL	Pocatello, ID (Century HS)
54	Tom Taylor	C	6-11	205	So	1VL-RS	Nampa, ID (Skyview HS)
	Kal Bay	        G	6-0	175	Jr	JC	Chandler, AZ (Eastern Utah/Colorado/Marcos Deniza HS)
	David Busma	C	7-0	240	Jr	JC	Klaipeda, Lithuania (Western Nebraska CC/Statesville Christian HS [NC])
	Felix Caspari	F	6-8	210	Jr	JC	Sao Poulo, Brazil (Eastern Utah/Porto Seguro HS)
	Phyllip Taylor	G	6-3	175	Jr	JC	Saginaw, MI (Manatee CC/Heritage HS)
Head Coach:  Joe O'Brien
Associate Head Coach:  Steve Swanson
Assistant Coaches:  Geoff Alexander, Mike Brown
Director of Basketball Operations:  Cody VanFleet