Published: April 18, 2008 11:55 pm      

Three Cougars to play in all-star game

Three members of the NAIA Division I national runner-up Mountain State University basketball team have been selected to play in an all-star event next week.

Jarvis Jackson, Adron Marshall and James Spencer will play in the 2008 Collegiate Basketball Invitational in Wadsworth, Ohio, April 24-26. There will be 13 games culminating in an all-star game at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 26. It will be televised on ESPNU.

The three MSU players are on different teams. There are seven eight-man teams and one nine-player squad sponsored by different area businesses.

Marshall, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound wing, will play for The Galaxy Restaurant, which is coached by Stonehill College’s David McLaughlin.

Marshall averaged 16.9 points and 5.8 rebounds and earned honorable mention All-America honors.

Jackson, a 6-0, 165-pound point guard, will play for First Merit Bank, which is coached by Alfred Johnson of Holy Family University.

Jackson averaged 8.2 points in the regular season but averaged 18 points during the national tournament. He also averaged over five assists during the season and was an honorable mention All-American.

Spencer, a 6-4 wing from Los Angeles, will play for Premier Pontiac-GMC, which is coached by Jim Tribbitt of Chowan University.

Spencer finished second in the nation in scoring, averaging 24.2 points per game. The first-team All-American — MSU’s seventh — averaged 22 in the national tournament as Mountain State advanced to the title game before falling to Oklahoma City 75-72.

“It’s a great honor for them,” MSU coach Bob Bolen said. “It’s a chance for them to get more exposure from pro scouts. And there were only two teams to have three players chosen, Mountain State and Oklahoma City. I’m happy for them, and they are all three very deserving.”

A total of 22 NAIA players will participate in the basketball showcase, designed to get non-NCAA Division I basketball players seen by pro scouts.

“I sincerely congratulate the 65 players that have been selected to compete in this prestigious event,” said organizer John McCarthy, founder of McCarthy Sports Inc. and the director of the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. “We’re proud and excited to have the top NAIA seniors from both Divisions I and II participating in the Collegiate Basketball Invitational.”

The trio from Oklahoma City include NAIA national player of the year Ollie Bailey, who once played at Rutgers, Kameron Gray and Willie Irick.

MSU opponents invited include Antonio Bolton of Voorhees and Brad Harris of Lee.