April 16, 2009 (Updated May 20, 2009)

(San Francisco) - Tomas Bruha (Prague, Czech Republic), a 7-0 international post player, Moustapha Diarra (Marseille, France), a 6-10 NJCAA All-American post player, Dominique O'Connor (Los Angeles/Westchester), Nikola Stojiljkovic (Paris, France/INSEP Academy), a 6-8 forward and Michael Williams (Van Nuys, CA/Taft HS), a 6-0 All-State First Team combo guard have signed National Letters of Intent (NLI) to compete at the University of San Francisco as announced by head coach Rex Walters.

Walters and his staff have transformed the Dons front line for 2009-10. During the late signing period USF has added a 7-0 international center and a heavily decorated junior college post player to a roster already featuring a two-time All-West Coast Conference First Team forward in Dior Lowhorn and a decorated prep post player Perris Blackwell (Etiwanda, CA), who signed in the early period.

San Francisco also bolstered its perimeter game with the addition of O'Connor, a heavily decorated prep point guard, Stojiljkovic, a member of the French U-20 National Team and Williams, one of the top prep scorers in the state of California as a senior. The trio will team with redshirt sophomore Rashad Green (Babylon, NY/Manhattan) who sat out the 2008-09 season under NCAA transfer rules.

"We're really excited about these five as well as Perris signing in the early period," Walters said. "They bring a lot of the things we felt we needed as a team for next year. Obviously we needed some size inside and we have that in Tomas, Moustapha and Perris. We also needed some guys that could make shots on the perimeter and Dominique, Nikola and Michael can all really shoot the basketball and they're not just shooters. They can make plays off the bounce and feed the post. We covered a lot of needs. I've got a great staff and they've done a great job getting to know these young men. We feel really good about the quality of people they are and also the fact that they will make this team much more competitive."

TOMAS BRUHA: A member of the Czech Republic U-20 National Team, Bruha spent the last season competing for the Canarias Basketball Academy, which toured internationally throughout Europe and the United States. In competition with CBA during the 2008-09 season, Bruha averaged 12.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 2.9 assists per contest. At the 2008 European U-20 Championships, Bruha averaged 4.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.

Coach Walters on Bruha: "Tomas has a chance to be a really good player. He has great size, can run the floor and I do not consider him to be a project. He has good hands and really good touch. He will probably need to put on some weight, although he's got a good body to work with at 225. He is a guy who can be a difference maker for us and is exactly what we needed. I'm excited about him. This will be a guy that for four years can be a mainstay and a guy we can play around in the post."

MOUSTAPHA DIARRA: A highly decorated player, Diarra captured 2009 NJCAA All-American honors and helped Sheridan JC to the Region IX North Championship with a 22-6 record. Diarra enjoyed an outstanding career for the Generals, averaging 19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game as a sophomore under the direction of head coach Steve Smiley. A two-time selection to the All-Region IX team, Diarra twice captured All-Region IX Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Coach Walters on Diarra: "We're very excited about Moustapha Diarra signing with us today," Walters said. "He's a skilled big man who can play a couple positions for us and had a very good year at Sheridan Junior College. I really enjoyed recruiting him and watching him play. He can score in the post, is very good running the floor and has a good feel for the game. He's someone who can come in and give us size, athleticism and is a good defensive player as well."

DOMINIQUE O'CONNOR: A heavily decorated prep point guard at one of the state's premier programs, O'Connor captured Los Angeles City Player of the Year and first team all-state honors after propelling Westchester Senior High School to the 2009 California State Division I Championship. O'Connor averaged 15.3 points, 6.7 assists and 3.0 steals per game as a senior for the Comets and ranked among Western League leaders in multiple categories including scoring (eighth) and assists (first). In addition to serving as the floor general in Westchester's fifth state championship, O'Connor directed the Comets to a 35-2 record in 2008-09 and a No. 4 national ranking in the ESPN Fab-50 High School Boys final poll. After his standout senior season, O'Connor captured the John Wooden High School Player of the Year award and was named State Player of the Year from Wave Newspaper.

Coach Walters on O'Connor: "We're really excited about Dominique O'Connor joining us here on the Hilltop," Walters said. "Dominique is a true point guard. I love the way he pushes the ball up the floor. He's a really good passer, ball handler and will be able to create a lot of offense for us out of our sets and secondary break. He's a winner, played on a state championship team and understands what it takes to play at a very high level. This is something we've been working a long time on and thank goodness he is joining us here in the City."

NIKOLA STOJILJKOVIC: A prolific shooter with a wealth of international experience, Stojiljkovic played in the INSEP Academy, the national training center for athletes representing France in international competition. Notable INSEP Academy alumni include NBA veterans Tony Parker and former Gonzaga All-American Ronny Turiaf. An athletic wing with strong perimeter skills, Stojiljkovic competed on the U-18 French National Team after graduating from the U-16 squad.

Coach Walters on Stojiljkovic: "Nikola is the kind of kid I really like. He's a pass, handle, shoot kid. He's got a really good stroke, but I think people will be really surprised by how well he handles it and passes it. He has great size for the position and can play multiple spots for us next year. He has shown toughness and competitiveness that I like and comes from a great family as well. He's another one that has a chance to be a difference maker in our program."

MICHAEL WILLIAMS: Williams turned in an outstanding senior campaign at Taft High School and captured First Team All-State honors, averaging 18.7 points and shot .450 from 3-point range to go along with 4.1 assists per game as a senior. Williams poured in 32 points against eventual state champion Westchester of Los Angeles and propelled the Toreadors to the West Valley League Championship. The Los Angeles Daily News Player of the Year, Williams also captured WVL MVP honors and was named First Team All-City.

Coach Walters on Williams: "Michael comes from a great program down in Southern California at Taft High School. He's very well coached. He can really shoot the basketball, but saying all that, he's not just a shooter. He is a basketball player. He can definitely put the ball on the floor, get in the paint and find teammates. He's very crafty and can really score. He will play a couple different positions for us. He's got size at the point guard and he will play there, but he can shoot the ball so well that he can play both positions for us. Every time he shoots the basketball I've always felt really good when it leaves his hands. He's going to be a good player for us if he continues to work the way I think he will."

Walters is excited about what the incoming recruiting class can bring to the table when added to a solid core of returning players.

"We've covered a lot of areas with this class. We needed help inside and although Perris, Tomas and Moustapha are back to the basket players, we will have them do a lot of things to take advantage of their skill set. Although Dominique, Nikola and Michael can shoot the basketball, they also can bounce it, get in the paint and I also was really happy with how well they passed the basketball and made their teammates better. This is a really good class that can lay the foundation for us to win championships."

2009-10 USF Men's Basketball Recruiting Class
Name			Ht.	Wt.	Pos.	Hometown/Previous School
*Perris Blackwell	6-8	240	F/C	Etiwanda, CA/Etiwanda HS
Tomas Bruha		7-0	225	C	Prague, Czech Republic/Canarias Academy
Moustapha Diarra	6-10	235	C	Marseille, France/Sheridan JC (Wyoming)
**Rashad Green		6-4	195	G	Babylon, NY/Manhattan
Dominique O'Connor	5-11	165	PG	Los Angeles, CA/Westchester Senior HS
Nikola Stojiljkovic	6-8	210	F	Paris, France/INSEP Academy
Michael Williams	6-0	170	G	Van Nuys, CA/Taft HS
		*Signed in early period
                **Sat out 2008-09 season under NCAA transfer rules