Fayetteville Basketball Enjoys Big Signing Day
MCCULLOUGH TO MISSOURI STATE, MATLOCK TO ORU
Several Fayetteville High athletes signed letters of intent Wednesday to play their respective sports for colleges at a signing ceremony at Bulldog Gymnasium in Fayetteville. The athletes are, from left, Vanessa Matlock, signed with Oral Roberts for basketball; Aubrey Edie, signed with Ole Miss for volleyball; Caleb Waitsman, signed with Colorado School of Mines for basketball; Tyler McCullough, signed with Missouri State for basketball; Tatum Marshall, signed with Missouri State for volleyball; and Ashlye Pool, signed with Crowder College for softball.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
FAYETTEVILLE — Tyler McCullough and Caleb Waitsman epitomize a tireless attitude on the basketball court, which has become a trademark around the Fayetteville program.
On Wednesday, they joined Lady Bulldog Vanessa Matlock as the three latest Fayetteville basketball athletes to see their hard work pay off.
McCullough, a 6-foot-10 post, signed his national letter of intent with Missouri State after staying committed to the Bears for the past year. A two-time all-conference selection and all-state pick a year ago, McCullough set a school record for blocked shots in a season with 86 as a junior while also shooting over 50 percent from the field.
“It’s good to make it official, it feels real good just to make it official,” McCullough said. “Just the way they’re building the program (at Missouri State) is exciting. We’re going to be really good in the next few years and I’ll have a chance to get some playing time next year, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Waitsman, an all-conference selection despite playing mostly off the bench, signed with the Colorado School of the Mines. The 6-foot-8 senior was a leading rebounder for the Bulldogs last year.
“Caleb, I said this at our banquet last year, I call him the sixth man of the world,” Fayetteville coach Kyle Adams said. “He brought so much energy off the bench and we had to have that.
“Lots of people didn’t recognize all the things he does for us on the basketball court, but the Colorado School of the Mines recognized.”
Matlock had received interest from smaller schools, including Henderson State and Liberty University, at the conclusion of her junior season. But after a breakout summer, the 5-foot-10 Lady Bulldog forward caught the attention of Oral Roberts University.
“This is really exciting and it’s a huge weight off my shoulders just not having to worry anymore about where I’m going to go to school,” said Matlock, who averaged 6.3 points per game as a junior. “I wasn’t very satisfied with the offers I had before, so I just took this last summer to play my hardest and get the best offer I could get.”