USF Men's Basketball Signs Four Talented Players for the 2010-11 Season

Nov. 12, 2009

(San Francisco) - Cole Dickerson (Federal Way, WA), a 6-7 wing, Cody Doolin (Austin, TX) a versatile 6-2 combo guard, Khalil Murphy (Willingboro, NJ), a 6-7 forward and Justin Raffington (Bad Krotzingen, Germany), a 6-9 Post signed National Letters of Intent (NLI) to compete at the University of San Francisco as announced today by head coach Rex Walters.

Walters and his staff continue to target strong players from elite prep programs to transform the Dons. USF's 2010-11 roster will feature no players from the 2007-08 season and every student-athlete will have been brought to the Hilltop by Walters and his staff.

"We are excited to welcome this group to the University of San Francisco," Walters said. "They bring size, athleticism, ball-handling, good feel for the game with the ability to score the ball. We've worked really hard on this class. It's a group that definitely addresses some needs that we have on our roster, especially losing the class that we have graduating."

San Francisco bolstered its perimeter game with the addition of Doolin, who was named the Austin Preseason Player of the Year by the Austin Statesman, and significantly bolstered the front line with three talented additions. Dickerson was a star on a state championship squad in Washington State and Murphy's stock rose dramatically after an outstanding junior campaign. With the addition of Raffington, the Dons have signed their third European who competed for his country in the European Championships.

Signing key players from outstanding teams will continue to pay dividends for the Dons moving into 2010-11.

"We want to continue to bring in student-athletes that come from a winning culture," Walters said. "We had a good class of 2009 come in from good programs and followed it up this year with the same thing. Kids in strong programs get great coaching. The adjustment from high school to Division One Basketball is a big one, but I believe that players that come from good programs are more prepared for that jump. All of our guys have definitely received good teaching and coaching throughout their prep careers."

COLE DICKERSON
A key player on the defending 4A Washington State Champions, Dickerson averaged 17.5 points on .660 (166-253) from the field to go along with 8.2 rebounds and 56 blocked shots as a junior under the tutelage of head coach Jerome Collins. Last season, Dickerson turned in a 28-point, 11-rebound double-double effort against Walla Walla in the State Quarterfinals and added 18 points in the 2009 title game against Garfield High School. Cole's half-brother Michael Dickerson, played at Arizona and helped the Wildcats to the 1997 NCAA Championship.

Coach Walters on Dickerson: "From the first time I saw Cole play, I loved his feel for the game, He has good size, can really shoot the basketball and has an advanced offensive understanding of the game. Cole can score a lot of different ways. He can post up, can shoot the three, can bounce it and get his own shot. He comes from a state championship program and Coach Collins has done a great job with him. His family is a basketball family."

CODY DOOLIN
A highly decorated prep perimeter player, Doolin led Westlake High School to a 26-8 record during the 2008-09 campaign under the direction of head coach Tres Ellis. As a junior, Doolin averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and was a deadly shooter from 3-point range, converting on .450 from long distance. An All-CenTex selection by Texas Basketball Inc., Doolin was ranked in the top-20 in the 2009 class according to Texas Hoops. A competitive, hard-nosed player, Doolin enters his senior year as the Austin Statesman's Preseason Player of the Year.

Coach Walters on Doolin: "We've probably been watching Cody the longest. We've been recruiting him since we first got here. He can pass, handle and make shots. He's deceptively quick in terms of getting to spots on the floor. He's very unselfish. A quarterback, who understands the point guard position, but has the size to play off the ball. He's a winner, a great student and he'll be a lot of fun to coach at USF."

KHALIL MURPHY
A strong, versatile combo-forward, Murphy made a big jump between his sophomore and junior season and enters his senior campaign as the No. 10 ranked player in New Jersey's class of 2009. A good shooter with a solid mid-range game, Murphy can play three positions and is very athletic and quick to the basket. An excellent student, Murphy posted a 3.4 GPA as a junior.

Coach Walters on Murphy: "Khalil is a guy that can play a couple positions for us. He has the size and the strength to play the four, but could also see some time on the wing. He has a really good feel for the game and we feel he will be a match-up problem for teams because as a power forward he can step out on the perimeter. He can bring the ball up, he's got good vision, he's a good passer, can knock down the jumper and will present problems in ball screen actions. Khalil will present a lot of matchup problems."

JUSTIN RAFFINGTON
A talented European wing with international experience, Raffington is off to a strong start to the 2009-10 season with his Erdgas Ehingen/Urspringschule, averaging 6.8 points on a remarkable .786 (11-14) from the field to go along with 6.6 rebounds in only 20 minutes per game. Last season, Raffington averaged 12 points and six rebounds per game during the regular season, but elevated his play during the NBBL Final Four adding 13.0 points, 15.0 rebounds per contest. While competing for Germany in the U-18 European Championships, Raffington averaged 3.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.6 steals in eight contests.

Coach Walters on Raffington: "Justin has very good size. He's very bouncy. He rebounds well and can knock down the 15-17 footer. I believe his best basketball is ahead of him. He's playing against older, more experienced players now in Germany and also is playing for the German national team. He definitely has some international exposure. He's a really good kid. He will make plays outside his area and can block shots and cover ground on the defensive end. We're really excited about having him join the Dons."

"We worked very hard on recruiting this group and I would like to once again thank my staff for their efforts," Walters said. "This class definitely fills a lot of needs. We lose one of the best players in the conference the last two years in Dior Lowhorn, so we have big shoes to fill. We are getting closer and closer to getting the type of players that will allow USF to compete and win championships."

2009-10 USF Men's Basketball Recruiting Class

Name			Ht.	Wt.	Pos.	Hometown/Previous School
Cole Dickerson	        6-7	205	F	Federal Way, WA/Federal Way HS
Cody Doolin		6-2	170	G	Austin, TX/Westlake HS
Khalil Murphy		6-7	225	F	Willingboro, NJ/Fishburne Military School
Justin Raffington	6-9	225	F	Bad Krotzingen, Germany/Urspring Academy