Men's Basketball - April 22, 2004
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - When Jonathan Loe last played at Middle Tennessee's Murphy Center he enjoyed one of the highlights of his young basketball career as he helped lead Bartlett High School to the Class AAA state championship. Not only did Loe's team win the state title, but he was named Most Valuable Player and also earned a spot on the Class AAA All-Tournament team. Loe hopes to make many more pleasant memories in Murphy Center for the next two years after signing to continue his college basketball career for coach Kermit Davis at Middle Tennessee. "I've already had such a good experience on that court, and I would like to keep that going," Loe said. "The success I had at Murphy Center in high school probably didn't have anything to do with me signing there, but I feel comfortable there for some reason. I just try to put myself in a position where I can win. Obviously I feel like Middle Tennessee is a place where we can be successful." Success has been a big part of Loe's basketball pedigree. The 6-foot-3 guard signed with Ole Miss in 2001 and, after redshirting in the 2001-02 season, he played in 18 games for the Rebels in 2002-03. After completion of his redshirt freshman season, Loe opted to transfer to Northwest Mississippi Junior College. Loe helped lead Northwest Mississippi to a No. 4 ranking in the final Top 25 junior college poll, as well as a No. 7 finish in the Junior College National Tournament, before signing with the Blue Raiders. "Jonathan Loe is a very skilled athletic guard who has a great motor and is very good in the open floor," Davis said. "He gives us a versatile player who can play different positions in the perimeter. We thought Jonathan was one of the best passers we saw all year in junior college. A lot of our fans will remember Jonathan from when he won a state championship in the Murphy Center for Bartlett and was named MVP." Loe averaged 14.6 points, four assists and three steals - all team highs - for Northwest Mississippi in 2003-04, helping to lead the team to a 30-4 record and No. 7 finish in the National Junior College Tournament. The Rangers became the first team to repeat as Region XXIII champions since 1950-51. "Without a doubt, he's a kid who will bring a lot to the table," Northwest Mississippi coach Bubba Skelton said. "He's a great athlete, has a great burst of speed, great jumping ability, and he's more than a guy who just looks to score. He is a kid who played great for us. He plays hard, He's very talented, and he can do a lot of things." Loe, who drew interest from numerous schools, including Clemson, Minnesota and Penn State, said he narrowed choices to Washington State, Valparaiso and MiddleTennessee and added that he always was leaning toward the Blue Raiders. "I like the coaching staff at Middle Tennessee a lot, and I liked the location," Loe said. "It looks like they will have a good team next year. I remember Mike Dean and Steve Thomas (at Georgia) from when I was at Ole Miss. I've seen Dean and Thomas both play, and I'm excited about playing with them." Former Bartlett High School coach Hubie Smith, who is now an assistant at Belmont, said Middle Tennessee is getting an outstanding talent, and a team player. Loe, who played his only year of prep basketball at Bartlett as a senior after playing in a home school league previously, was outstanding as he averaged 20.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.4 steals. He was a McDonald's All-American nominee, selected as one of the top 50 guards in the nation by ESPN.com, named the Commercial Appeal's Best of the Preps co-Player of the Year, and scored 28 points and was named MVP of the Georgia/Tennessee All-Star game. "Jonathan is the ultimate team player," Smith said. "It's not like he gets 30 points and one assist. He gets everything. I love his creativity. He's a great finisher, and he brought a dimension to our team (at Bartlett). He could beat you in the open court, or break you down with sheer speed. He's fun to watch play, and he's very, very creative." Loe was rated the preseason No. 2 junior college shooting guard in the country by Lindy's 2003-04 College Basketball Magazine and backed the recognition with a solid season on the court at Northwest Mississippi. Coaches believe the talented guard has tremendous upside. "We think Jonathan Loe represents what we are trying to do at Middle Tennessee," Davis said. "He won a high school championship at Bartlett and played for one of the outstanding high school coaches in our state in Hubie Smith. Jonathan's team at Northwest Mississippi won a region championship and made it to the national tournament. He played junior college ball for Bubba Skelton who, at the present time, has the most successful junior college program in the state of Mississippi, and he develops tremendous players at Northwest year-in, year-out. "(Assistant coach) Jeff Walker did an outstanding job with Jonathan and the entire Loe family, developing the relationship, and he stayed with them through the entire process." Loe joins 6-6 guard Marcus Morrison from Garden City (Kansas) Community
College, 6-foot guard Francis "Fats" Cuyler from Cowley County (Kansas)
Junior College, 6-foot-9 forward Tim Blue from Indian River (Florida) Junior
College, and 6-foot-9 Steve Thomas, who transferred from the University
of Georgia last fall, as part of the Blue Raiders' 2004 signing class.
|