NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Niagara men’s basketball head coach Joe Mihalich has announced the program’s latest recruiting class in forward Ali Langord and guards Juan’ya Green and Ameen Tanksley.
“We are very excited about the three newcomers to Niagara basketball for the upcoming season,” Mihalich said. “Juan’ya Green, Ali Langford, and Ameen Tanksley will all have impact roles.”
Ali Langford | 6-7 | 225 | Forward | Cottonwood Height, Utah | Allan Hancock College
Langford was named the Western State Conference Player of the Year and helped the Allan Hancock (Calif.) Bulldogs to their first conference title since 1974. Langford was the centerpiece on the squad where he played center using his athletic 6-foot-7 frame. He led the conference in scoring and was sixth in the state with 21.6 points per game and led the state in rebounding with 12.8 boards per game. Langford, who became the first player in four years to move to a Division I program, chose Niagara from over 40 programs.
Prior to attending Allen Hancock Community College, Langford spent one season at Western Wyoming Community College after a successful high school career at Brighton High School in Salt Lake City, Utah where he was named to the all-state first team (junior) and all-state second team (senior).
“Ali is a high energy, fill up the stats sheet kind of guy,” Mihalich said. “He is undersized, but is all over the floor.”
Juan’ya Green | 6-3 | 200 | Guard | Elkins Park, Pa. | Archbishop Carroll
Green’s size, explosiveness and decision-making has made him one of the most highly sought after guards in the nation. Green has earned All-State, All-Catholic, All-Delco and won a couple of player of the year awards while attending Archbishop Carroll High School. Green was instrumental to the Patriots’ 2009 PIAA Class AAA State championship and their 2010 quarterfinal run, which were the first two seasons that the Catholic League was eligibility to compete in the state tournament.
He averaged 21.0 ppg, 5.5 apg and 4.0 rpg as a senior en route to being named the 2010-11 Catholic League Co-Player of the Year and earning all-state, all-Catholic and all-Delco team recognition.
As a junior, Green earned Junior All-American Honorable Mention honors from Max Preps and was named Main Line Media News Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year. The combo guard led the Patriots in nearly every statistical category, averaging 16.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.2 spg and 1.0 bpg, while leading the team in 3-point field goal percentage (38.0 percent) and free-throw percentage (82.0 percent).
He left Carroll as the program’s all-time scoring leader with 1,492 points. Green selected Niagara over Villanova, Temple, St. Joseph, Maryland, Boston University, George Mason and Drexel.
“Juan’ya is one of those players that gets you excited when he has the ball in his hands,” Mihalich said. “When he doesn’t have the ball, you can’t wait until he gets it back.”
Ameen Tanksley | 6-4 | 175 | Guard | Philadelphia, Pa. | Imhotep Charter
Tanksley was a part of two Pennsylvania state championship teams at Imhotep Charter. The Panthers wont the PIAAA Class AA title in 2009 with a 33-1 record and won the 2011 title with a 31-3 mark. Tanksley helped the Panthers to three straight public league championships, including earning the MVP in the championship game, to become the first team to compete the feat since the mid 1970s.
The swingman averaged 14.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 5.0 apg, 3.0 spg and 2.0 bpg during his senior year en route to being named to the First Team All-State. Tanksley, who was a 1,000-point scorer at Imhotep, picked Niagara over Austin Peay, Hofstra and VCU.
“Ameen doesn’t have a position…he is just a player,” Mihalich said. “He is extremely versatile and just beats you any way he can.”
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