Former Western Mennonite senior Geoffrey Martin will join his older brother, Bryan, in donning the navy and gold next season at Corban. (Photo courtesy of Timothy J. Gonzalez, Salem-Statesman Journal)
Another Recruiting Trio Announced by Corban
SALEM, Ore. – Eighth-year head coach Justin Sherwood announced Tuesday the signing of three more recruits for the 2009-10 season, including former Western Mennonite senior Geoffrey Martin (Salem, Ore.) along with one other high school senior and one transfer student.
With the return of seven players from last season's roster, Sherwood has hit the recruiting pavement hard during the off-season and adds Martin, NCAA Division II member Hawaii Pacific transfer Deonte Johnson (Modesto, Calif.), and former Modesto Christian senior Marcus Butler (Patterson, Calif.) to his current six-player recruiting class.
Martin, a 6-foot guard from nearby Western Mennonite High School, helped lead the Pioneers to the No. 1 ranking in the state of Oregon according to the final 2A coaches' poll and the semifinals of the 2009 OSAA state tournament before falling to eventual state champions Knappa. After averaging 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists as a senior, Martin was named 1st team all-state and All-Tri-River Conference. Martin also earned 2nd team all-tournament and Statesman Journal All-Region honors as a senior, while helping guide the Pioneers to four straight tournament appearances during his prep career.
Like his older brother, Bryan, Martin will be partipating in the 2009 OACA All-Star Series this weekend at Northwest Christian University and Clackamas Community College. Martin will be part of the 11-player 2A North All-Star Team.
Johnson, a 6-foot-5 forward from Hawaii Pacific University, comes to Corban after spending the past two seasons on the island of Oahu. While playing for the Sea Warriors, Johnson appeared in 51 games and started 28, including 10 as a freshman and 19 as a sophomore. In his first collegiate game, Johnson scored eight points in a season-opening victory over Cal State-Stanislaus.
Prior to Hawaii Pacific, Johnson prepped at Modesto High School in Northern California. As a senior, Johnson averaged 15.0 points and 11.0 rebounds en route to earning all-league and all-district honors. During his senior season, Johnson was named the team's Defensive MVP and helped the Panthers to a season-opening 21-game winning streak and a spot in the CIF Northern California Elite Eight.
Butler, a 6-foot-4 forward from Modesto Christian High School, arrives at Corban following four years of basketball for the Crusaders. As a senior, Butler helped lead Modesto Christian to a win-loss record of 23-9, including a perfect 10-0 mark in Trans Valley League play, and a berth in the regional semifinals of the Division IV CIF State Basketball Championships.
After finishing fourth on the team in scoring as a senior, Butler capped his prep career with Trans Valley League honorable mention recognition. Besides his all-league honors, Butler also captured the team's Coaches' Award as well as making the Columbia and Lee County All-Star teams.
Corban is coming off a 2008-09 campaign where the Warriors posted a win-loss record of 11-19 that included a 7-11 mark in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. For the first time since the '05-06 season, Sherwood and the Warriors advanced to the conference post-season tournament as the 8th seed.