MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—Four transfer students will join Cesar Odio’s Barry University men’s basketball team this fall. Guards Tony Dennison and Evan White and forwards Julien Bendeke and Marvin Davis will join eight players returning from a squad that finished fourth in the Sunshine State Conference in 2009.
“This year's recruiting class will bring four talented young men who will hopefully get us back to the NCAA tournament,” Odio said. “They are terrific people with the basketball skills that fit well in our system and should all be significant contributors this coming season. We are very excited about the 2009-10 year with our returners and with our new players.”
Dennison, a 6-3 senior guard from NCAA Division I Hofstra, spent two seasons at Broward College where he was one of the top junior scorers in the county. As freshman, he was second in the nation at 27.7 points a game while shooting over 63 percent from the floor. As a sophomore, he averaged 24.1 points a game and upped his shooting to 64.8 percent. With the Pride, he was the fourth-leading scorer, averaging 5.7 points per game as the team went 21-11.
White, a 6-0 sophomore guard from D-I Indiana, is an outstanding defender. Though he played sparingly at Indiana, he was one of the top guards in the state at Harding High in Fort Wayne, Ind. He led the Hawks to a 22-4 mark as a senior and the Summit Athletic Conference championship. He led the team with 16.4 points and 3.1 assists as they reached the state championship game.
Davis, a 6-4 post forward, and Bendeke, a 6-5 wing forward, both come to Barry from Santa Fe Community College, where there were teammates as freshman with current Barry teammates Zach Trapp and Bartas Visinkis. The Saints went 43-15 over their two seasons.
Davis was the Saints’ second-leading scorer as a freshman at 9.2 points per game and was second in rebounding at 6.0 boards per game. As a sophomore, he chipped in 8.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He shot over 56 percent from the floor both seasons.
Bendeke was a model of consistency during his two years with the Saints. He averaged 5.1 points per game and 2.6 rebounds as a freshman and 5.2 points and 2.6 rebounds as a sophomore. He was third on the team both season in made three-pointers.
The Bucs open at home on Nov. 18 at 7:00 pm against Florida Memorial.
