MARION, Ind. - Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball has inked their first three players of the 2023-24 recruiting class with the signing of Jaxson Gould, Marcus Ankney, and transfer Luke Brown.
"We are excited to welcome this group of student-athletes to Indiana Wesleyan," said
Greg Tonagel, Head Men's Basketball Coach. "This years class is filled with players from rich basketball schools and backgrounds. We are pleased to bring in a class of guys who love to work. Not only are these players skilled on the floor but they have a heart for the I AM THIRD culture. We are thrilled to welcome Jaxson, Marcus, and Luke to IWU!"
Gould comes to IWU from Warsaw High School in Warsaw, Indiana the home of former Wildcat Kyle Mangas. Through his first three years, Gould averaged 15.6 ppg while grabbing 4.8 rebounds and shooting 48% from the field. He tallied a grand total of 836 points during his sophomore and junior seasons. The 6'2" Tiger guard was named the 2022 Times-Union Player of the Year, and finished Top-10 in Warsaw Basketball scoring history with 1,148 points.
Ankey comes to IWU from Center Grove High School, where he netted 16 points-per-game in his senior season and as a junior shot 46% from long range. An Indiana Top-60 player, Ankey has earned multiple All-Confrence, All-County and was an All-State Junior Honorable Mention. He capped off his senior season with a IBCA Large School All-State recognition. Ankey joins a plethora of Center Grove greats to attend IWU, including
Spencer Piercefield and NAIA National Champions Trevor Harrell and Jonny Marlin.
Rounding out the class thus far, is sophomore transfer and Blackford County High School player Luke Brown, who comes to IWU from Stetson University. The Blackford Bruin ended his high school career as the No. 4 all-time scorer in Indiana High School history with 3,011 points. Brown averaged 31.7 points per game as a senior, 35.0 points per game as a junior, 32.3 points per game as a sophomore and 27.8 points per game as a freshman. He poured in 40 plus points on 13 occasions, with four totaling 50 or more. In addition to scoring, Brown recorded 599 carrer assists, ranking ninth in state history. Brown was a two-time Indiana Supreme 15 All-State selection and was an Indiana All-Star selection his senior season. In his lone season at Stetson he averaged 10 points in 28 games, earning 12 starts. He scored a season-high 27 points against Florida State. He spent his freshman season at Ball State University.
This class joins a Wildcat team who returns 11 players from the 2022-23 squad, including All-Conference guard
Griffin Kliewer, former All-Defensive team member in
Noah Smith, and raising sophomore
Javan Buchanan, who averaged 12 points-per-game and netted a season-high 41-points against Spring Arbor.
#
