At this time last year, Jordan Mast didn’t know what he wanted and needed.
The Fort Lewis College men’s basketball head coach didn’t know much about what it takes to win in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference as he worked hard to put together a roster for his first season.
Fast forward to today, Mast and his staff are confident in what they need to win in the RMAC and compete nationally. Mast has announced five commitments for next season. Those players, combined with the six returning players, can help make a roster that Mast thinks can put the Skyhawks back where they were from 2022-2024.
“Number one, we wanted to try to retain the guys that we could and have a core there; something we didn't have last year,” Mast said. “We did that … But then, when we looked at it, we had to get bigger size-wise at every position. That's what we really focused on with the transfer portal and the guys we looked at. We achieved that. The second piece is that we had good guys who were team-first guys, but we really put a premium on character. They're going to make the right team play every time in this recruiting class.”
The highlight of these five commitments is Adams State transfer guard Jude Tapia. Skyhawks and RMAC fans should be familiar with Tapia, who, at 5-foot-11-inches, led the RMAC in scoring last season at 17.4 points per game in his junior season.
Adams State struggled last season and finished 12-16 overall and 7-13 in the RMAC, but Tapia did his part with ultraefficient scoring as the top name on every opponent’s scouting report. Tapia shot 45% from the field and 43% from 3-point range.
Mast thinks Tapia can shoot even better at FLC and he was impressed with how high a percentage Tapia shot with how many tough shots he was forced to take. Another thing that impressed Mast about Tapia was what he wanted from his new home. Tapia wants to be challenged by other good players and wants to be in a place where he can win. Mast also heard rave reviews about Tapia’s work ethic, which made him think Tapia can fit into FLC’s high-pressure defense.
“You're going to see similar numbers, but on better efficiency,” Mast said about Tapia. “So what it might look like is maybe fewer average attempts a game, but a higher percentage for similar numbers on a team that I truly feel can compete for an RMAC championship and compete nationally. We plan on playing fast. So you're going to see a player getting out in transition, making exciting plays … with a lot of good players around him.”
Another intriguing transfer commitment is Division I Utah State transfer guard Jaxon Smith. Mast knew FLC needed to improve its shooting and Smith is another great 3-point shooter like Tapia.
The Bountiful, Utah, native had a decorated high school career at Woods Cross High School with two second team all-state honors before redshirting his freshman year at Utah State. As a redshirt freshman last season, Smith appeared in 11 games and averaged 1.3 points per game.
At 6-foot-2-inches and 185 pounds, Smith didn’t see a lot of time in part because of how successful Utah State was during his time there. The Aggies made it to the NCAA tournament both years and won the Mountain West championship his freshman year. Mast liked that Smith came from a winning culture in high school and college.
Smith impressed Mast in his workout and made 22 consecutive 3-pointers. Mast knows Smith is looking for an opportunity to showcase his game and Mast needed a shooting guard who could put the ball in the hoop after losing sharpshooter AJ Riggs in the offseason.
Another player Mast got out of the transfer portal was Yorgio Golesis. A transfer from NAIA Oklahoma City University, Golesis averaged 12.2 points per game as a 6-foot-1-inch, 170-pound sophomore guard last season.
Golesis and his team had some trouble after their gym flooded. This was a big hindrance for the team and the Stars finished the season poorly at 10-18 overall and 6-18 in conference play.
Mast loved his will to win and how Golesis had some of his best games of the season against Oklahoma City’s toughest competition.
“What we see from him as a player is elite vision,” Mast said. “He almost averaged five assists a game. One thing last year, I felt both our guards were really dynamic and great scorers, but we didn't really have that facilitator first guard. We see him in that role where he can really move that thing and be the catalyst for ball movement and the guy making plays for others.”
Mast is bringing in two freshmen from Colorado who won a lot at the high school level. Guard Ty Yoder won two state championships at Resurrection Christian School in Loveland, playing for his father as the team’s point guard.
Yoder isn’t the biggest guard at 5-foot-11-inches and 160 pounds but is known as a tireless worker and a winner. Mast said the plan is for Yoder to redshirt so he can get bigger and get used to Division II basketball.
Another winner at the high school level in Colorado was Garrett Barger. At Eaglecrest High School in Centennial, Barger won the 6A state title last year as the team’s second-leading scorer and top rebounder at 6-foot-9-inches.
Barger was heavily recruited by other RMAC schools, according to Mast, but loved FLC and connected with associate head coach James Jansen. Mast said Barger is a candidate to redshirt so that he can get a little stronger and work on his offense. Mast loves how Barger can move his feet and knows he needs bigs that are mobile on the back line for FLC to succeed.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
