FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 17, 2021) – Northern Arizona head men's basketball coach
Shane Burcar is proud to announce a 2022 class of five including a pair of players from the state of Arizona. Oakland Fort (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Will Coates (Phoenix, Ariz.) are joined by Ryan Abelman (Las Vegas, Nev.), C.J. Ford (Crowley, Texas) and Jack Wistrcill (Murray, Utah) as incoming freshmen in this year's class.
"We have a saying in our program that winners win and every one of these guys coming in have had success at the level they're playing at," Burcar said. "They're all coming from programs that have had success for many years. They've all played on the big stage whether that's in club or in high school. We're excited about this class coming in and they're excited to be here."
The Lumberjacks continue to recruit the state of Arizona and landed The Arizona Republic's 2021 Player of the Year in Fort, a 5-10, guard out of Sunnyslope High School. Fort, Sunnyslope's team MVP each of the last two seasons, averaged 15.1 points, 3.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in leading Sunnyslope to the 6A state championship and 21-1 record last season.
Joining Fort on the move north on I-17 is Coates, who like Fort, also won a 6A state championship. Prior to transferring to PHH Prep before his junior season, Coates was part of Desert Vista High School's 6A title team as a sophomore in 2019-20. Now in his second season with PHH Prep, Coates is averaging 8.8 and 5.8 rebounds per game through the first five games as a senior.
Moving out of the state of Arizona, Abelman, a 6-4 guard, showcased his skills on the club circuit with Vegas Elite after the 2020-21 high school season was canceled in Nevada due to the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, Abelman was part of two 4A state championship teams at Bishop Gorman High School, where he set a school record for points scored by a sophomore in a game with 30.
The recurring theme of state champions continues with Ford out of Duncanville High School, who is the defending Texas 6A champions. The 6-1 guard was the District Defensive MVP on Duncanville's 21-1 team last season and averaged 7.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. This season, Ford and Duncanville was the preseason No. 5 team in the country.
The Lumberjacks' last signee is Wistrcill, who hails from Olympus High School. Wistrcill averaged 19.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, a block and a steal last season for an Olympus team that went 22-3 and advanced to the Utah 5A state semifinal. Standing at 6-8, the forward shot 59 percent from the field and 38 percent from behind the arc as a junior.
"When guys come up here and see our campus and see our growth with the Student-Athlete High Performance Center, recruiting takes care of itself, especially with the guys we have on our team right now," Burcar said. "Our own players do a great job of selling who we are as NAU Basketball."
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NAU Men's Basketball Class of 2022 (in alphabetical order):
Ryan Abelman – 6-4 – G – Las Vegas, Nev. (Bishop Gorman HS)
"Ryan can knock it down and he's going to stretch the floor. But Ryan is more than a shooter. He's played with a bunch of good players and he may have been underlooked. We've recruited him for over a year and we're happy to add him to the family." – Head Coach
Shane Burcar
Will Coates – 6-8 – F – Phoenix, Ariz. (PHH Prep)
"Will comes up here and will help our program with his motor. He's going to work extremely hard to get into our rotation. He wants to be here and is probably coming from the best prep program in the state. I have a good relationship with those guys and we're happy to add another guy from in-state." – Burcar
CJ Ford – 6-1 – G – Crowley, Texas (Duncanville HS)
"CJ is coming from Duncanville High School and they'll be top 25 in the country this year. He's a point guard and can play some combo too. He is highly motivated and he plays with two guys in the class of '22 and '23 who are top 20 players in the country. Someone like him has a chance to come in and play right away." – Burcar
Oakland Fort – 5-10 – G – Phoenix, Ariz. (Sunnyslope HS)
"Oakland is someone who could open up I-17 and get guys coming up here. He plays for a good friend of mine, Ray Portela, at Sunnyslope and they've had great success. We've courted him for two years and it paid off. We beat four or five different schools for him and he's somebody who has been up here before COVID at our team camp and he sees the growth of our campus and the Student-Athlete High Performance Center." – Burcar
Jack Wistrcill – 6-8 – Forward – Murray, Utah (Olympus HS)
"Jack reminds me a lot of
Nik Mains. He can score in the post and he can shoot the three and he's a great passer. Jack, like all of these guys, is a great competitor and he understands the game. He wants to win basketball games." – Burcar
