With the graduation of Drew Hansen pending, Utah basketball coach Rick Majerus has signed a couple of California junior-college players who'll be channeled in the direction of filling his position.
The Utes have signed 6-foot-1, 195-pound shooting guard Jeremy Killion of Palomar Junior College in San Marcos and 6-6, 205-pound forward Tony Harvey of Cerritos JC in Ceritos to NCAA letters of intent.Killion, of San Diego, is a gym rat after Majerus' own heart. "He plays for all the right reasons," Majerus says. "He is one of the premier jump-shooters in the country. He will be able to extend the defense because, perhaps, he is the finest shooter in junior-college basketball."
Majerus says Killion, who played his first JC season at Treasure Valley Community College in Idaho, must still learn to play without the ball. "We are counting on him to channel his athletic ability into a tremendous effort," he added. "He has big shoes to fill in Drew Hansen and will battle David Jackson for playing time."
Killion averaged 27.0 points and 5.0 assists a game at Palomar, shoot-ing 52 percent from the field and 46 percent on threes. At Rancho Bernardo High, he was CIF Player of the Year, averaging 35.0 ppg, and was honorable-mention All-America by USA Today and a McDonald's All-American nomi-nee.
Harvey scored 22.8 ppg with 9.7 rebounds and 3.9 steals a game. He helped Cerritos to 54 wins and two league titles in two years, was the first freshman in California history named all-state and was two-time league MVP. "He is probably the most highly recruited player I have ever had," Majerus says.
He has played only three years of basketball. Harvey was a wide receiver at Carson High School and didn't play hoops until he was a senior.
However, he got strong coaching in JC ball. Majerus says coach Jack Bogdanovich "is a legend in California junior-college coaching circles, and it is a privilege and a pleasure for me to have one of his players before this outstanding coach retires."
Harvey's "quickness, jumping ability, lateral movement, anticipation and body control will be apparent to everyone," Majerus says. "I think he should become the finest defensive wing player in our league. There is no question he has the ability to take over where Hansen left off."