Sept. 8, 2005

MILWAUKEE - Tyrone Young of Kansas City, Mo., Avery Smith of Milwaukee and Ricky Franklin of Milwaukee have all enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and intend to play basketball for the Panthers, head coach Rob Jeter announced today. The three are all on-campus this week for the start of the fall semester.

Young was rated as one of the top 10 junior college players in the country this past season. Smith is a transfer who played one year at Garden City Community College. Franklin is a true freshman who was named the Milwaukee City Conference Player of the Year.

Young's addition provides an immediate boost to a team that already returns four starters and nine letterwinners from last year's Sweet 16 squad. The 6-foot-4 guard led Vincennes University (Ind.) in scoring this season, averaging 19.4 ppg while helping his team to the NJCAA Region XII title and to within one game of the national tournament. He shot 51.4 percent from the field, including 39 percent from three-point range, while adding 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. This came on the heels of an impressive freshman campaign by Young, who averaged 14.6 ppg and four rebounds per game during a season that included a 37-point outing in the Region XII title game. He scored more than 1,000 points in his two-year Vincennes career.

All of those numbers helped Young live up to his national billing. Young, who was the Missouri High School Player of the Year in 2003 while averaging 25 ppg as a senior, was rated as the sixth-best junior college player in the country by the Sporting News and the 13th-best JUCO player by Hoop Scoop Online. He was also a first-team JUCO "Super Sophomore" pick by Street and Smith Magazine. Young, also an All-Region XII performer and a nominee for JUCO All-America honors, is eligible immediately and will have two years of college eligibility remaining.

"We are thrilled to have Tyrone be able to join us in Milwaukee," Jeter said. "He is a multi-dimensional player who can score in bunches, rebounds well and is a very good passer. He is a slasher with a great ability to get to the hoop. There is always an adjustment to be made when going from junior college to Division I basketball, but we are confident Tyrone will make a smooth transition. He has the chance to be a very special player."

Smith, a 6-foot-3 guard, attended Milwaukee Washington High School through 2003 before transferring to Laurinburg Prep (N.C.) for his senior year (2003-04). He then played this past season at Garden City, averaging 12.1 ppg while helping his team to a 23-9 record. Smith earned honorable mention All-Jayhawk Conference honors, one of only three first-year players honored by the league. In 32 games this past season, Smith made 45 percent of his field goal attempts, including better than 36 percent from three-point range. Smith, who will be a walk-on this season and receive a scholarship next season, has three seasons of college eligibility remaining.

"It is good to get Avery in our program and give him the chance to grow into being a contributor to Milwaukee basketball," Jeter said. "Avery has a great knack of being able to put the ball on the floor and score. He knows he has to get stronger and he knows his opportunity to be a contributor will come next year. He will be another important piece in keeping continuity in the program next year when we lose our seven seniors. Plus, he is a Milwaukee kid, and we are always excited to keep those young men in our program."

Franklin was the fastest-rising star in the Class of 2005 in the state of Wisconsin, going from virtual unknown to a first-team all-state performer at Milwaukee Riverside High School. A 6-foot-1 guard, Franklin beat out Wisconsin recruit Marcus Landry for City Conference Player of the Year honors and was rated as the third-best player in Wisconsin by the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook. He averaged 20 ppg in leading Riverside to a third-place finish in the conference, its best in the city since 1972. A walk-on, Franklin still has to apply to the NCAA Clearinghouse to determine his eligibility for the coming season.

"Ricky is a great young man who really came on as a senior," Jeter said. "The fact that he earned player of the year honors in the city really speaks for itself. He was looking for a chance to continue his career and we are very happy to give him that chance. It is another example of a high-level player from the city deciding Milwaukee is a great place to play college basketball."

The addition of Young, Smith and Frankin to the UWM roster brings to six the number of additions Jeter has made since taking over the reigns as the head coach in mid-April. JUCO transfer Kevin Massiah and prep-school star Kaylan Anderson, both of Toronto, Ontario, are each eligible to play this year, while Northern Illinois transfer Paige Paulsen will be eligible to play in 2006-07.

In other roster news, sophomore walk-on Luke Homan has decided to transfer to Division III UW-LaCrosse. Homan appeared in nine games for the Panthers last season.

UWM's full schedule has not yet been released, but the Panthers know they open the exhibition season Nov. 2 against UW-Parkside and the regular season Nov. 15 at Memphis in the Preseason NIT. The Panthers, who advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and finished last season ranked 23rd in the nation, return four of five starters and nine letterwinners for the upcoming season.

Newcomer Profiles

Kaylan Anderson, G, 6-3, 195, Fr., Toronto, Ontario (West Hill/Central Park Christian)

Kaylan Anderson joins the Panthers as a freshman this year. He was a high school standout in Ontario before spending this past season at Birmingham Central Park Christian in Alabama. Last season, Anderson led the team in scoring with 19.7 ppg, while helping Central Park Prep to a 21-6 record. Anderson also grabbed 7.2 rebounds and 3.4 steals per contest to go with 2.8 assists. Anderson played at West Hill High School in Ontario, earning honors as one of the top guards in Canada during his career. He was then named to the Toronto East All-Region Team following his senior season.

Ricky Franklin, G, 6-1, 170, Fr., Milwaukee, Wis. (Riverside)

Ricky Franklin was the fastest-rising star in the Class of 2005 in the state of Wisconsin, going from virtual unknown to a first-team all-state performer at Milwaukee Riverside High School. A 6-foot-1 guard, Franklin beat out Wisconsin recruit Marcus Landry for City Conference Player of the Year honors and was rated as the third-best player in Wisconsin by the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook. He averaged 20 ppg in leading Riverside to a third-place finish in the conference, its best in the city since 1972. A walk-on, Franklin still has to apply to the NCAA Clearinghouse to determine his eligibility for the coming season.

Kevin Massiah, G/F, 6-5, 220, Jr., Toronto, Ontario (York Memorial/Schoolcraft CC)

Kevin Massiah comes to UWM as a junior college transfer. He played this past season at Schoolcraft Community College in Michigan. He averaged 15.5 ppg while shooting nearly 62 percent from the field. He also averaged 7.7 rebounds per game in helping Schoolcraft to a 27-3 record. He attended Western Kentucky University for two years, playing as a reserve for an NCAA Tournament team in 2002-03 before missing the 2003-04 season with an injury. He has two years of college eligibility remaining. Massiah played high school basketball at York Memorial High in Toronto, averaging 30.5 ppg during his career. He once scored 57 points in a game and added eight rebounds and 3.5 assists per game over his career. Massiah then went on to Maine Central Institute, where he averaged 16 points and five rebounds per game in one of the top prep basketball leagues in the country. At Western Kentucky, Massiah appeared in 23 games as a true freshman as the Hilltoppers advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Massiah then missed the 2003-04 campaign with a broken foot before transferring to Schoolcraft.

Paige Paulsen, F, 6-7, 220, Jr., Huron, SD (Custer/Northern Illinois)

Paige Paulsen has transferred to UWM from Northern Illinois. The 6-foot-7 Paulsen, who was South Dakota's Mr. Basketball following his senior year of high school, will be eligible for game action beginning with the 2006-07 season. He will have two years of college eligibility remaining. Paulsen averaged 7.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 21 games at Northern Illinois this past season. He started seven games early in the season and then missed the final seven contests due to lingering effects of a concussion. He scored a career-high 19 points in an upset win over DePaul and led the Huskies in scoring twice and in rebounding four times. In his two years at NIU, Paulsen appeared in 48 games, starting nine, while shooting 40 percent from three-point range. Paulsen earned honors as South Dakota's best high school basketball player in 2003 while capping off a tremendous career at Custer High School. A member of the varsity team since he was in eighth grade, Paulsen averaged a double-double of 24.5 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per contest during his senior season. He was named the South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year and the Player of the Year by the South Dakota Basketball Coaches' Association. A three-time First-Team All-State selection, Paulsen led his team to the 2002 state title and then back to the state finals in 2003. In his last two seasons at Custer, the Wildcats compiled a 48-4 record, including 25-straight wins during his senior year. For his career, Paulsen scored 1,790 points - a school record - while averaging double figures in points every season since his freshman campaign.

Avery Smith, G, 6-3, 190, So., Milwaukee, Wis. (Washington/Laurinburg Prep/Garden City CC)

Avery Smith, a 6-foot-3 guard, attended Milwaukee Washington High School through 2003 before transferring to Laurinburg Prep (N.C.) for his senior year (2003-04). He then played this past season at Garden City, averaging 12.1 ppg while helping his team to a 23-9 record. Smith earned honorable mention All-Jayhawk Conference honors, one of only three first-year players honored by the league. In 32 games this past season, Smith made 45 percent of his field goal attempts, including better than 36 percent from three-point range. He also added 58 steals while playing for former Panther assistant Ryan Swanson and current Panther assistant Ronnie Jones. Smith, who will be a walk-on this season and receive a scholarship beginning next season, has three years of college eligibility remaining.

Tyrone Young, G, 6-4, 200, Jr., Kansas City, Mo. (Raytown South/Vincennes)

Tyrone Young's addition provides an immediate boost to a team that already returns four starters and nine letterwinners from last year's Sweet 16 squad. The 6-foot-4 guard led Vincennes University (Ind.) in scoring this season, averaging 19.4 ppg while helping his team to the NJCAA Region XII title and to within one game of the national tournament. He shot 51.4 percent from the field, including 39 percent from three-point range, while adding 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. This came on the heels of an impressive freshman campaign by Young, who averaged 14.6 ppg and four rebounds per game during a season that included a 37-point outing in the Region XII title game. He scored more than 1,000 points in his two-year Vincennes career. All of those numbers helped Young live up to his national billing. Young, who was the Missouri High School Player of the Year in 2003 while averaging 25 ppg as a senior, was rated as the sixth-best junior college player in the country by the Sporting News and the 13th-best JUCO player by Hoop Scoop Online. He was also a first-team JUCO "Super Sophomore" pick by Street and Smith Magazine. Young, also an All-Region XII performer and a nominee for JUCO All-America honors, will have two years of college eligibility remaining.