The LaGrange College basketball coaching staff announced 13 student-athletes have committed to continue their academic and basketball careers with LaGrange College.  The nine freshmen and five transfers add depth and experience to a Panthers' roster coming off its first and only Great South Athletic Conference regular season championship.  The new additions are tasked with providing an immediate impact as the Panthers enter their first season in the USA South Athletic Conference.

TRANSFERS

Dustin Baxter - (6-3, Wing, Maryville College/Upperman High School, Cookeville, Tenn.)
Dustin is a smooth shooting; high flying wing player who provides a deep ball threat for the Panthers this season.  At  Maryville, he played two seasons and averaged almost four points a game while shooting 42 percent from the 3-point line.  Dustin will provide valuable minutes and experience at the wing.

Jalen Butler - (6-1, Guard/Wing, Reinhardt University/Curtis Baptist, Augusta, Ga.)
Jalen is a strong guard who can defend the perimeter.  He played in four Junior Varsity contests for the Eagles last season.  In high school, he was a GISA 2-AA All-Region and averaged 12.7 points per game as a senior.  Jalen adds depth and experience to the Panthers backcourt.

Lincoln Bennett - (6-6, Post/Wing, Valdosta State University/Maclay School, Tallahassee, Fla.)
Lincoln is a strong, hard working dual threat who can score inside and shoot the ball well from deep. With a motor that does not quit, he will be a true asset to the program.   Lincoln averaged 12.2 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game as a senior in high school.  Lincoln will be instant help to the Panthers' front court.

Patrick Dugger - (6-7, Post, Valdosta State University/Faulkner University/Whitewater, Fayetteville, Ga.)
Patrick gives the Panthers a big bodied low post scoring threat with great footwork and an abundance of post moves. He played in 11 games for Valdosta State in 2010-11 and last season played in four games at Faulkner.  Patrick will be another inside scoring threat for the Panthers to go with senior Marcus Vaughn.

Jordan Johnson - (6-5, Post/Wing, Belmont Abbey College/Mt. Vernon Presbyterian, Atlanta, Ga.)
Jordan is hard working, very athletic and a long dual threat who can provide depth to the Panthers' front court.  He played in 16 JV games for Belmont Abbey last season.  In Jordan's senior year at Mt. Vernon, he averaged 10 points a game for the GISA Class AAA state champions.  Jordan will be a great asset to the program in adding depth and experience to the Panthers' roster.

FRESHMEN

Braxton Ford - (6-0, Guard, LaBelle High School, LaBelle, Fla.)
Braxton is a scorer with the ability to shoot from deep and create his own shots while taking it to the basket.  As a senior, he averaged 21.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.  He was a 1,000 point career scorer and nominated to play in the Ft. Myers All-Area and Tournament of Champions All-Star games in Florida.

Torrey Johnson - (6-1, Wing, Carrollton High School, Carrollton, Ga.)
Torrey is a proven shooter from deep and has the ablity to create his own shot. A four-year letterman for the Trojans, he was part of four straight region championship teams.  He averaged 12.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game during his senior season, leading the team with 49 3-point shots made.  He finished with 719 career points and was named to the Carroll All-County team after his senior season. 

Jackson Loudermilk-(6-7, Post, Glenwood School, Ellerslie, Ga.)
Jackson is a big body low post threat and comes to the Panthers with a tremendous upside.  He has a nice soft shooting touch, good post moves and with work can develop into a big time threat during his career with the Panthers.

Don President-(5-10, Guard, Gulf Breeze High School/Gulf Breeze Fla.)
Don is a hard working, hard-nosed guard who has outstanding speed with the ball.  He was an integral part of Gulf Breeze winning its first ever FHSAA Regional Tournament game.  Don averaged 8.2 points per game while shooting at a 58 percent clip from the floor.  He was nominated for the All-Pensacola Area All-Star and the Subway North Florida All-Star games. 

Ira Smith - (6-1, Guard, Hagerty High School/Oviedo, Fla.)
Ira is a proven leader and scorer from one of the top high school basketball programs in Florida.  He was a third-team All-Central Florida Selection as a junior and senior. Ira was named The Orlando Sentinel Seminole County Player of the Year and led Hagerty to its first ever state championship game as a senior.  Hagerty was ranked 11th overall in the state classifications of Florida according to ESPN and defeated nationally-ranked Montverde Academy in a holiday tournament.  Smith led the team in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game.

Mark Wagner - (6-0, Guard, Bishop Verot High School, Ft. Myers, Fla.)
Mark is a big time guard who can do it all on the court. He can shoot from deep, penetrate to score and set up his teammates with great regularity.  Mark helped lead Bishop Verot to three straight district titles and three straight FHSAA Class 3A Elite Eight appearances.  He connected on 135 3-pointers in his career and finished with almost 800 career points.  Mark was the 2012 FACA District 18 Player of the Year, first team All-Southwest Florida and second-team All-State (Sourcehoops.com).  He was nominated to play in the FACA All-Star game as well as the Tournament of Champions and All-Fort Myers All-Star games.

Robert Warren - (6-3, Wing, Benedictine Military School, Savannah, Ga.)
Robert is a hard-working, strong wing with great potential. With a non-stop motor matched by effort and attitude; he will become a key player for the Panthers during his career.