Hannah to MU
http://mutigers.cstv.com/sports/m-ba...051906aab.html
Stefhon Hannah Signs to Play for Mizzou
JUCO All-American Point Guard to Play for Mike Anderson
May 19, 2006
COLUMBIA, Mo. - University of Missouri Men's Basketball Coach Mike Anderson landed one of the nation's top true point guards when he announced Friday that Second Team Junior College All-American Stefhon Hannah (Chicago, Ill. / Hyde Park High School / Chipola Community College) has signed a national letter of intent to play for the Tigers next season.
A 6-foot-1, 175-pound guard originally from Chicago's Hyde Park High School, Hannah started each of the past two campaigns at Chipola where he led the Indians to a two-year record of 60-7, including a No. 4 finish at the 2005 National Junior College Athletics Association National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., and a No. 1 ranking for a majority of the 2005-06 season.
Ranked among the Top 10 junior college guards by JucoJunction.com and the No. 25 JUCO player overall, the well-rounded Hannah averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 steals to pace Chipola's highly-touted squad and boasted an impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.1-to-1.
"I am very excited that Stefhon Hannah is joining our program at Missouri, and he is very excited to be coming here," said Anderson. "The signing of Stefhon is an outstanding way to close out the recruiting period and it gives us added quality and depth in the backcourt. He is a tremendous leader and winner and he does the things that make his teammates around him better. Stefhon is a tenacious player and a very gifted offensive performer. He scored at a high level at both the high school and junior college ranks, and he gives us an experienced player for our roster," he said.
Hannah joins Jonathan "J.T." Tiller (Marietta, Ga.), and transfers DeMarre Carroll (Birmingham, Ala./Vanderbilt) and Darryl Butterfield (Miami, Fla./Mineral Area College) as Mizzou signees during the past week. They will combine with Keon Lawrence (Newark, N.J.) and Vaidatos Volkus (Klaipeda, Lithuania) - who both signed in November during the early period - as Anderson's first class at Mizzou.
An ideal option for Anderson's run-and-execute style of play, Hannah ranked No. 17 nationally at the junior college level with his 6.5 assists per game and No. 11 with his 3.1 steals. He turned in a career-high 13 assists and added 21 points in a win over Gulf Coast Community College and had multiple steals in 20-of-25 games played as a sophomore, including four or more thefts 12 times.
While Hannah's unselfishness and defensive-minded play have made him among the nation's most coveted point guard targets, the 2006 Panhandle Conference Player of the Year flashed his abilities to score on a number of occasions as a sophomore. Hannah scored a career-high 34 points on 18-of-24 free throw shooting in a 110-91 win over Florida Prep and tallied 26 and 25 points, respectively, in wins over Seminole Community College and Northwest Mississippi. Hannah was efficient from the floor in both Chipola wins, hitting 9-of-16 shots, dishing out eight assists and recording four steals vs. Seminole, while hitting 4-of-4 three-pointers and 9-of-13 shots overall en route to that 25-point night vs. Northwest Mississippi. He also recorded his second double-double of the season in a 21-point, 10-assist effort in a 95-66 win over Pensacola Junior College.
As a freshman, Hannah earned First Team All-Panhandle Conference accolades after leading the Indians to a school record 33-4 mark in 2004-05. Aided by current Oklahoma State senior Mario Boggan, Chipola advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson and finished fourth overall. As a rookie, Hannah averaged 10.0 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 boards and 2.8 steals.