Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Louisiana Tech head coach Talvin Hester announced this week the addition of four signees in Avery Thomas, Jermaurhiyun Anderson, DJ Dudley, and Sir Issac Herron.
Avery Thomas
Thomas, a 6-foot-7, 195-forward from Jackson, Mississippi, was a Second Team All-MACCC Team and Region 23 All-Tournament Team selection as a freshman this past season for the Bobcats.
“We are excited to welcome Avery Thomas II to our Bulldog Family,” said Hester. “He adds much-needed length and shooting at the wing position. Avery also does a great job of rebounding on both ends of the floor. He has a lot of untapped potential, and we look forward to seeing him compete as a Bulldog.”
Thomas was a teammate this past season of Bulldog signee, Kylan Howze, at Jones College, helping the Bobcats go 30-4, the most wins in program history. Jones College claimed the MACCC regular season title, going 13-1 in league play, and finished ranked No. 4 in the country after winning the Region 23 title and advancing to the NJCAA Tournament Round of 16.
He played and started all 34 games for Jones College, averaging 14.6 points per game, second most on the team, while shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 45.0 percent from three-point range, and 85.1 percent from the free throw line.
Thomas, named a Fab 50 Freshman by JucoRecruiting.com, scored in double figures in 26 of the 34 games including seven 20+ scoring performances while ranking 16th in NJCAA Division I in three-point shooting percentage (minimum 100 attempts).
He also averaged a team-high 6.8 rebounds as well as 1.6 steals per game, registering seven double-doubles including 17 points and a season-high 14 boards in the Region 23 final against Pearl River.
Jermaurhiyun Anderson
Anderson, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard from Greenville, South Carolina, averaged a team-high 15.1 points for the Lions this past season as a freshman, earning All-MACCC Honorable Mention honors.
“As a staff, one of the main focuses for next year’s roster was to get more size at our guard positions and Jermaurhiyun does that,” said Hester. “He is a three-level scorer that has the ability to use his height and athleticism to attack defenders. We also believe he can defend multiple positions effectively.”
Anderson scored in double figures in 22 games including five 20+ scoring performances. He had two season-high 25-point efforts versus Holmes and Reid State while also registering a double-double at Shelton State with 13 points and 12 boards.
He was an all-around player for EMCC, averaging 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game as a first-year collegiate.
Sir Issac Herron
Herron, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward from Houston, Texas, spent the last four seasons at Oral Roberts.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Sir Issac to Ruston,” said Hester. “His physicality, skill, athleticism, versatility, and experience bring us a dynamic addition to our front court.”
Herron played in 57 career games while for the ??? while making 23 starts (missed two seasons due to injury). For his career, he averaged 4.1 points while shooting 56.7 percent from the field. He also averaged 2.8 points and 0.6 blocks per contest.
His best season came in 2023-24 when he made was a regular in the starting lineup for ORU, averaging 5.6 points and 3.7 boards per game. He registered five double-digit scoring games, scoring a career-high 14 points versus Denver.
Coming out of high school, he was a three-star recruit and ranked as the 18th best player in the state of Texas by 247Sports.
DJ Dudley
Dudley, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard from Inglewood, California, spent this past season at Hutchinson CC as a sophomore, earning Second Team All-KJCCC honors. Prior to that, he spent his freshman campaign at Rider University.
“We are thrilled to welcome DJ to our program,” said Hester. “His ability to play on and off the ball on both ends, as well as score, make plays for others, and defend, will bring excitement to the TAC.”
Dudley made 28 starts for the Blue Dragons, averaging 14.3 points per game while shooting 44.2 percent from the field. He scored in double figures 26 times including five 20+ scoring performances. His best scoring effort came against Colby Community College, posting 29 points.
He also averaged 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game for Hutchinson.
As a freshman at Rider, Dudley averaged 5.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game over 28 games off the bench. His best performance came at Iona when he scored a season-high 28 points.
In high school, Dudley starred at LA Premier Prep where he posted a program-record seven triple-doubles, scored a program-record 45 points in a single game, and set the program single-season record with 281 assists in route to being a 2022 McDonald’s All-America nominee.
