May 26, 2006                    

Cowley basketball excited about out of state signings

Continuing to add talent to its roster, the Cowley College men’s basketball team has announced the signings of two stellar out of staters.

The latest signees are, Ludovic Dovonou, a 6-6, 220-pound forward from Houston, Texas, and James Loe, a 5-11 combo guard from Hillsboro, Ore. Lowe sat out this past season after playing for NCAA Division I Eastern Washington as a freshman.

Cowley head coach Brian Jackson is excited about the recent signings, especially adding a player with NCAA Division I experience.

“James should give us a big lift in the leadership category,” Jackson said. “He is a tough, hard nosed player that has great court vision. He has a knack of getting people the ball where they can score.”

Loe holds the Hillsboro High School career scoring and assists record. He averaged nearly 20 points and six assists over his last two years at the school, and led the team to the state title game as a senior. He was named the Metro Conference Player of the Year as a senior.

Loe sat out last season after suffering an ankle and knee injury. However, he is fully recovered and looking forward to getting back on the court.

“I cant wait to play at Cowley, if I could leave today I would,” Lowe said. “I want to get stronger and get back to the (NCAA) Division I level. I also never got to cut down the nets, so I hope to help Cowley do that.”

Dovonou, who came to the United States from Cameroon, Africa at age 14, will give the Tigers a lift with their inside game. As a senior at Cypress Christian High School, Dovonou averaged 15 points and seven rebounds as he led his team to the state championship.

“Ludovic has a big time body and has the ability to go inside or out,” Jackson said. “He will be a tough match up for our opponents and give us a strong presence in the post.”

Dovonou, who was a second-team all-state selection, received some NCAA Division I scholarship offers, but decided to come to Cowley.

“The offers were not what I wanted, and when I visited Cowley I really liked the people and the coach,” Dovonou said. “It is always good to be around nice people.”

Dovonou said coming to the United States four years ago to live with a host family has been a life changing experience.

“It changed my life physically, materially, and most importantly spiritually,” Dovonou said.