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JOHNSON CITY – East Tennessee State University men’s basketball head coach Desmond Oliver and his staff announced on Monday the addition of four Buccaneers to the 2022-23 roster.

The Bucs added four transfers in guard Justice Smith (Lyons, N.Y.) from Mansfield University and forwards Jalen Haynes (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) from Virginia Tech, Brock Jancek (Knoxville, Tenn.) from Tennessee and Georgia transfer Josh Taylor (Atlanta, Ga.).

Jalen Haynes – 6-8 – 250 – Forward – Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Virginia Tech)

• Played in nine games for Virginia Tech during the 2021-22 season

• Scored his first collegiate points against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 18 when he finished with four points

• Added three points in five minutes versus St. Bonaventure on Dec. 17

• Played at Dillard High School under legendary head coach Darryl Burrows

• In 2019-20, averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, while leading the Panthers to a 24-8 record and an appearance in the state title game

• Following his time at Dillard, played a postgraduate season at Montverde Academy in 2020-21 for head coach Ben Wisniewski … In his one season at Montverde, Haynes posted 20.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game

• A three-star prospect by 247Sports.com, chose Virginia Tech over Mississippi State, Boston College and Central Florida

 

Coach Oliver on Haynes…

“We are really excited to add Jalen to our roster. We feel he will provide the needed physical inside play that we lacked last season, with the ability to space the floor and isolate on drives and make perimeter jump shots. If he continues to get himself in the best shape, he can become one of the most important newcomers in the SoCon.”

 

Brock Jancek – 6-8 – 228 – Forward – Knoxville, Tenn. (University of Tennessee)

• Played in 17 career games for the Vols from 2018-22
• Two-time SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll member
• Scored his first collegiate points in Tennessee’s win over ETSU on Nov. 14, 2021 when he netted a pair of free throws and also grabbed three rebounds
• Made his first collegiate field goal 12 days later in the win over Presbyterian … Also blocked two shots and played a career-high four minutes against the Blue Hose
• Scored his first career SEC points against South Carolina on Feb. 5, 2022
• Graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering this May
• Played for Mike Hutchens at Knoxville Catholic High School where he averaged 21.0 points and 8.0 rebounds during his 2017-18 senior season
• Named to the Knoxville News Sentinel’s 2018 All-PrepXtra Team and was a finalist for the Boys Basketball Player of the Year at the Knox News Awards event
• Played on the 2016-17 team that recorded a 28-game win streak en route to winning District 4-AA and Region 2-AA tournament titles … The team finished 31-2 and was ranked No. 1 in every Associated Press state poll that season

 

Coach Oliver on Jancek…

“I’m really excited about Brock joining us at ETSU. Brock is someone who I coached at Tennessee. He has experienced winning championships. He understands what hard work looks like and what a championship locker room sounds like. We expect Brock to bring a lot of those intangibles that seniors on winning teams bring. Even though he’s new to the program, I believe he will step right in and compete for minutes in the post. More importantly, he will bring us valuable experience on the court and inside the locker room each and every day. 

 

Justice Smith – 6-6 – 205 – Guard – Lyons, N.Y. (Mansfield University)

• Spent the last three years at Mansfield University but only played the 2021-22 season
• Named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Rookie of the Year and second team all-PSAC
• Averaged 20.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game for the Mountaineers
• Started 27 of the 28 games at Mansfield in 2021-22, averaging 34.9 minutes per game
• Scored 578 points on the season, ranking second all-time in Mansfield single season history
• Netted a Mansfield single-game record 56 points against Bloomsburg on Feb. 2 where he finished 19-of-26 from the field … Nearly recorded a triple-double in that game as he also totaled 12 rebounds and dished out nine assists
• Registered seven double-doubles and scored in double figures 24 times, including 13 times scoring 20 points or more
• Ranked second in the PSAC in scoring, sixth in free throw percentage (.791), ninth in minutes, 10th in steals, 15th in rebounding and assists and 16th in field goal percentage (.465)
• Redshirted the 2019-20 season and the 2020-21 season was canceled due to COVID
• All-time leading scorer at Lyons High School where he was a two-time Sectional MVP

 

Coach Oliver on Smith…

“Justice is sort of a wild card for us. We weren’t expecting to come across someone with his talent. He has the size of a small forward as well as the ability to play point guard. The one thing Justice showcased throughout high school, as well as his one year at the Division II level, is he can put the ball in the basket as good as anyone around. We are excited to add him to our team, look at practice and watch our guards compete to see which of those five or six guys end up becoming key contributors.”

 

Josh Taylor – 6-9 – Forward – Atlanta, Ga. (University of Georgia)

• Spent the last two seasons at the University of Georgia
• Played in 11 games this past 2021-22 season where he averaged 1.1 points in 3.9 minutes of action, while averaging 1.6 rebounds in 2.7 minutes his freshman campaign in 2020-21
• Coming out of high school, was rated as a three-star prospect via ESPN, 247Sports.com and Rivals.com … Also ranked as the nation’s No. 128 prospect by 247Sports.com, No. 129 by Rivals.com and No. 138 by 247Sports.com
• During his senior season, averaged 11.7 points and 10.7 rebounds at Norcross High School where he helped guide the Blue Devils to a 26-4 record and the Elite Eight round of the Georgia Class 7A State Tournament … Following the senior campaign, Taylor was named honorable mention all-state by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for Class 7A
• Prior to attending Norcross, Taylor played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Columbia High School in Atlanta, before transferring to Greensboro (N.C.) Day School his junior year … As a freshman, he averaged 10 points and 12 rebounds, while leading Columbia to a 21-8 record and trip to the Sweet 16 in the 5A state tournament … During his sophomore season, Taylor posted 12 points and 13 rebounds, and was selected first team all-region
• In his one season at Greensboro Day, Taylor helped the Bengals compile a 30-5 record and captured the 2019 N.C. Independent School Athletic Association Class 4A State Tournament title … Taylor, who played in 31 of the 35 games, tallied 9.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 58 percent from the floor and leading the team in blocks and dunks
• For his high school career, Taylor averaged a double-double in three of his four seasons en route to recording 1,189 points and 1,201 rebounds … Taylor was just one of three players from the 24 Gwinnett County high schools to average a double-double during the 2019-20 season

 

Coach Oliver on Taylor…

“Josh is someone who I recruited during my time at Tennessee and we offered him his junior year. I’m really excited for us to cross paths again. I have always admired his upside and he has some intangibles on the defensive end that you cannot teach. I thought defense was one of the things we lacked last season and I expect Josh to be one of the reasons for us to improve in that area. He has the ability to play three positions – small-ball five, small-ball four, or big-ball three – and he provides an experienced high-level athlete with skill.” 

This group of four transfers joins the signing class that includes incoming freshmen Jeremy Gregory (Charlotte, N.C.), Braden Ilic (Morristown, Tenn.) and Kristian Shaw (Hendersonville, Tenn.).

For more information on Buccaneer men’s basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men’s basketball tab.