Eric Howard and Shay Shannon, who shared the court at Giles County High School and most recently played for Columbia State Community College, have both signed letters of intent to play for Martin Methodist College in 2006-2007.

Howard, a 5’11”, 160-pound point guard, helped Columbia State advance to the finals of the National Junior College Athletic Association regional tournament, while averaging 4.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game, good for third in the Tennessee Junior College Athletic Association. Howard also shot 70.4 percent from the charity stripe.

“He is a very good defender with good hands and good instincts to the ball,” said RedHawk Head Coach Jason Ficca. “He’s not going to jump over a lot of people, but he has a good shot.”

Shannon, a 6’2”, 185-pound guard, served as a red shirt last season at Columbia State due to injury. However, in the previous season he helped the Hornets’ offense by averaging 12 points per game and shooting 43 percent from the three-point arc. Shannon hit an impressive 88 percent from the free throw line.

“Shay has one of the great gifts for playing the game of basketball - the ability to shoot,” commented Ficca. “He’s a good rebounder, a capable defender and does more than hang around looking for a shot.”

Howard and Shannon bring depth to the guard position for the RedHawks, as they will join fellow CSCC teammate Tywan Trice, Volunteer State Community College guard Mario Lucchesi, and University of Alabama-Huntsvill point guard Desmond McGuire as members of the 2006 recruiting class.