SAN ANTONIO — UTSA head men’s basketball coach Brooks Thompson announced Monday that he has signed Nick Allen (Surprise, Ariz./Willow Canyon HS) and A.J. Cockrell (Tulsa, Okla./Memorial HS) to National Letters of Intent during the recent early signing period. The pair will join the Roadrunners for the 2015-16 season.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Nick and A.J. to our program,” Thompson said. “Our staff wanted to target some athletic scorers to help fill out this class and we’re very pleased to sign a pair of high-caliber players with great character. We are looking forward to seeing them put on a UTSA jersey next fall.”
Below is a breakdown of this fall’s signing class.
Nick Allen · 6-7 · 205 · Forward · Surprise, Ariz. (Willow Canyon HS)
Plays for head coach Joshua Leon at Willow Canyon High School in Surprise, Ariz. … averaged 15 points and 4.3 rebounds as a junior and 9.7 points and 7.2 boards as a sophomore … is a three-time letterwinner and member of the varsity squad … over the summer was listed as the No. 23 prospect of 2015 in the state by The Arizona Republic … played on the AAU circuit with the Arizona Magic for coach Gino Crump … the Magic also produced Roadrunner George Matthews and former UTSA standout Jordan Sims.
A.J. Cockrell · 6-8 · 215 · Forward · Tulsa, Okla. (Memorial HS)
Plays for head coach Robert Allison at Memorial High School in Tulsa, Okla. … ranked among the state’s top 15 prospects in the class of 2015 by OKhoops.com … opened his senior season with 20 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks in a win last week … helped lead the Chargers to back-to-back Class 5A state championships … averaged 10.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game as a junior and earned honorable mention all-state and all-metro accolades from the Tulsa World … averaged 11.3 points during the state tournament en route to a spot on the all-tournament second-team … registered 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds as a sophomore … also a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.