ABILENE – ACU men's basketball head coach
Joe Golding announced that the Wildcats have acquired two more transfer players for the 2012-13 season.
Golding announced that 6-8 post Steven Werner had transferred to ACU from Sam Houston State, while 6-5 forward John King transferred to ACU from Stephen F. Austin. Both player will be seniors with one year of eligibility remaining.
Werner played just one season for the Bearkats, but he was the team's second-leading scorer in 2011-12 averaging 10.7 points per game, while also ranking second in rebounds per game at 6.1
Prior to his one season at Sam Houston, Werner played two seasons at McLennan Community College. A native of Fort Worth (Birdville High School), Werner averaged 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds as a sophomore at McLennan, helping the team to a 28-5 record.
As a high school senior at Birdville HS, Werner averaged 18.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.3 rebounds and was ranked among the state's top 100 recruits.
"Steven comes from a program with a coach (Jason Hooten) that I respect tremendously," Golding said. "He'll come in right away and give us an inside presence that we haven't had at ACU in a long time."
King helps complete the Wildcats' front line as he transfers to ACU from Stephen F. Austin where he played in 2011-12. King started 21 of 31 games for the Lumberjacks last season, averaging 6.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.
Prior to his one-year stint at SFA, King – a native of Panama City, Panama – was a standout at East Mississippi Community College. As a sophomore he averaged 13.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest, ranking among the top 15 rebounders in the country.
In both of his seasons in Mississippi, the team reached the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) national tournament and finished the season ranked No. 12 in the country.
"JK is a relentless rebounder who plays with a lot of energy," Golding said. "He's good around the basket, but he can also step out, put the ball on the floor and hit a 3-pointer if needed. We're really excited to add JK to the mix along our front line."
