Hansen Announces 2015 Recruiting Class
Nov 13, 2014 | Men's Basketball
OMAHA, Neb. -- Omaha head men's basketball coach Derrin Hansen announced his three-member 2015 signing class on Wednesday, as JT Gibson, Zach Jackson and Zach Pirog have all signed National Letters of Intent.
"We're very excited to announce the class we've signed," Hansen said. "We're bringing in three quality young men and good basketball players to our program.
"Our staff worked extremely hard on this recruiting class, and it's the first group that will be eligible for the NCAA Tournament the day they walk on campus. Our assistant coaches Randall Herbst, Pat Eberhart and Tyler Erwin should be applauded for the work they put in identifying student-athletes who will help our program achieve its goals of reaching the top of the Summit League and earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament."
JT GIBSON
G, 6-3, 180, Brooklyn Park, Minn. (Champlin Park)
Gibson, a 6-3, 180-pound guard from Brooklyn Park, Minn., plays for Coach Mark Tuchscherer at Champlin Park High School. A two-time all-conference selection, Gibson averaged 12.2 points per game and shot .590 from the field as a junior. Additionally, he helped his team to the 2014 Northwest Suburban Conference championship, and he was one of five finalists for the Minnesota Mr. Basketball Award. Gibson also played AAU ball for Coach Al Harris of the Net Gain program.
Gibson selected Omaha over North Dakota State, South Dakota State, South Dakota, North Dakota, Illinois State, Western Kentucky, Northern Colorado and LaSalle.
"JT is an explosive, talented combo guard out of the Twin Cities, where we've had a lot of success recruiting in the last few years," Hansen said. "JT can score the basketball in multiple ways, and he'll be an excellent addition to our program."
ZACH JACKSON
G, 6-5, 180, Wichita, Kan. (Wichita East)
Jackson, a 6-5, 180-pound guard, plays for Coach Joe Jackson at Wichita East High School. He has received first-team all-city and all-metro recognition and was a second-team all-state selection as a junior. Jackson has averaged 12.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. He also played AAU ball for Coach Jason Perez in the Next Level Hoops program.
Jackson chose Omaha over Texas State, Eastern Illinois, Northern Colorado, UMKC and Wichita State.
"Zach is a very talented wing who can shoot and drive the ball," Hansen said. "He'll give us length on the perimeter, and his upside is tremendous. We're excited to bring Zach into our program and see how he can develop in the next four years."
ZACH PIROG
C, 6-10, 200, Highlands Ranch, Colo. (ThunderRidge)
Pirog, a 6-10, 200-pound center from Highlands Ranch, Colo., plays for Coach Joe Ortiz at ThunderRidge High School. Listed as a two-star recruit by ESPN, he averaged 10.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game as a junior, and he was a first-team all-conference and all-state selection. Pirog played AAU ball for Coach Brett Cloepfil of the Colorado Chaos program, which also produced current Maverick forward Daniel Meyer.
Pirog chose Omaha over Northern Colorado, Columbia, Yale, Albany, Denver, Wyoming, Air Force, Holy Cross, Lafayette and Tennessee Tech.
"Zach comes from a very good high school and AAU program," Hansen said. "He brings us some size and length at the four and five spots. Zach is a rim protector and has great timing in blocking shots. He's skilled offensively, and with the addition of some weight and skill development, he'll be an asset to us on both ends of the floor."
"We're very excited to announce the class we've signed," Hansen said. "We're bringing in three quality young men and good basketball players to our program.
"Our staff worked extremely hard on this recruiting class, and it's the first group that will be eligible for the NCAA Tournament the day they walk on campus. Our assistant coaches Randall Herbst, Pat Eberhart and Tyler Erwin should be applauded for the work they put in identifying student-athletes who will help our program achieve its goals of reaching the top of the Summit League and earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament."
JT GIBSON
G, 6-3, 180, Brooklyn Park, Minn. (Champlin Park)
Gibson, a 6-3, 180-pound guard from Brooklyn Park, Minn., plays for Coach Mark Tuchscherer at Champlin Park High School. A two-time all-conference selection, Gibson averaged 12.2 points per game and shot .590 from the field as a junior. Additionally, he helped his team to the 2014 Northwest Suburban Conference championship, and he was one of five finalists for the Minnesota Mr. Basketball Award. Gibson also played AAU ball for Coach Al Harris of the Net Gain program.
Gibson selected Omaha over North Dakota State, South Dakota State, South Dakota, North Dakota, Illinois State, Western Kentucky, Northern Colorado and LaSalle.
"JT is an explosive, talented combo guard out of the Twin Cities, where we've had a lot of success recruiting in the last few years," Hansen said. "JT can score the basketball in multiple ways, and he'll be an excellent addition to our program."
ZACH JACKSON
G, 6-5, 180, Wichita, Kan. (Wichita East)
Jackson, a 6-5, 180-pound guard, plays for Coach Joe Jackson at Wichita East High School. He has received first-team all-city and all-metro recognition and was a second-team all-state selection as a junior. Jackson has averaged 12.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. He also played AAU ball for Coach Jason Perez in the Next Level Hoops program.
Jackson chose Omaha over Texas State, Eastern Illinois, Northern Colorado, UMKC and Wichita State.
"Zach is a very talented wing who can shoot and drive the ball," Hansen said. "He'll give us length on the perimeter, and his upside is tremendous. We're excited to bring Zach into our program and see how he can develop in the next four years."
ZACH PIROG
C, 6-10, 200, Highlands Ranch, Colo. (ThunderRidge)
Pirog, a 6-10, 200-pound center from Highlands Ranch, Colo., plays for Coach Joe Ortiz at ThunderRidge High School. Listed as a two-star recruit by ESPN, he averaged 10.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game as a junior, and he was a first-team all-conference and all-state selection. Pirog played AAU ball for Coach Brett Cloepfil of the Colorado Chaos program, which also produced current Maverick forward Daniel Meyer.
Pirog chose Omaha over Northern Colorado, Columbia, Yale, Albany, Denver, Wyoming, Air Force, Holy Cross, Lafayette and Tennessee Tech.
"Zach comes from a very good high school and AAU program," Hansen said. "He brings us some size and length at the four and five spots. Zach is a rim protector and has great timing in blocking shots. He's skilled offensively, and with the addition of some weight and skill development, he'll be an asset to us on both ends of the floor."
Players Mentioned
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