Nov. 11, 2009
Santa Clara head basketball coach Kerry Keating announced the 2010 Bronco signing class Wed., Nov. 11. The 2010 Santa Clara class includes Yannick Atanga (F, 6-8, 212, Yaounde, Cameroon/Ojai, Calif.) and John McArthur (F, 6-8, 235, Danville, Calif.).
2010 SANTA CLARA BASKETBALL SIGNEES BIOS (NOV., 2009 EARLY SIGNING PERIOD)
YANNICK ATANGA
Forward * 6-8 * 212 * Yaounde, Cameroon (Besant Hill School of Happy Valley, Ojai, Calif.)
Coach at Beasant Hill is Randy Bertin ... Led Besant Hill to a CIF Southern Section Division VI-A title in 2009 and a 22-2 record ... All-CIF First-Team his junior year ... Participated in Pangos All-American Camp ... John Wooden Award winner for Division 6 in 2009 ... Averaged 20.4 ppg, 13 rpg and 2.2 apg his junior year ... Active in the community in Ojai and was in the school's variety show ... Son of Evina Gaston and the late Effa Ngono Cecile.
COACH KEATING ON ATANGA
"Yannick has the benefit of being at an unbelievable academic institution where there is a very strict academic regiment. He is surrounded by very high-level students and that has enabled him to develop a level of discipline off the floor that he has carried onto the floor to coincide with his natural competitiveness. He is extremely long, talented and very driven to be good and get better. Like his future teammate and classmate, John McArthur, Yannick will fit in great with our expectations here of getting better every day and improving our program through a level of effort with a great attitude. He is coming off a winning season last year, with a winning program, which is very characteristic of the players we have brought in the last couple years. We look forward to welcoming him to our family as we continue to build our program. We are excited to add Yannick's attitude, energy and enthusiasm with his ability to make others around him better just by appreciating his opportunity to be here in the United States and to further his education."
WHY YANNICK ATANGA CHOSE SANTA CLARA
"I chose Santa Clara because first, I think it's a great school with a great academic program. I also chose it because I can get a good education there and the basketball program fits with what I am looking for. I believe and trust Coach Keating first as a person and as my basketball coach I know he can help me a lot off the court to be a better person."
JOHN McARTHUR
Forward * 6-8 * 235 * Danville, Calif. (De La Salle, Concord, Calif.)
Coach at De La Salle is Frank Allocco ... De La Salle has been league champions the last three years; and he has been a starter his entire high school career ... De La Salle was NCS Champions his sophomore year and 26-2 his junior year; and is 82-9 the last three years ... Was all-state his junior year after averaging 12.6 ppg and 7.5 rpg. Last year he also hit 55.7% from the field, shot 33% from beyond the arc and was a 73% free throw shooter ... He was all-state his freshman year as well ... McArthur was all-league first team as a junior and honorable mention his sophomore year ... Was honored with De La Salle's "Most Inspirational" Award his first three years ... Has participated in various volunteer projects done with DLS religion classes ... Played two years of AAU with the Drew Gooden Oakland Soldiers and four years with the Greenline Basketball Club ... His parents are Rich and Colleen McArthur; and his Dad played football at Saint Mary's College.
COACH KEATING ON McARTHUR
"We are really excited to add John McArthur to our family. He is coming from a great program and a great coach - he brings a level of discipline, ruggedness and toughness that will fit in perfectly with our guys. He spent a lot of time up here in the past couple summers both at our camps and playing open gym with our guys. That paid huge dividends in regards to relationship-building with our team. He has done great academically and he is very disciplined. That starts with his parents, Colleen and Rich, and carries over to his high school coach, Frank Allocco. Everyone had a big part in our recruiting of John and this decision. We are really happy that we had a team effort in John's recruiting process and we are really looking forward to having them all involved with the program as John arrives on campus next fall. John plays hard every possession, no matter what the score is or no matter who he is playing and that will enable him to help up right way. He is very skilled, with strength and size and those are great combinations. Most of all, he is a winner. De La Salle is 82-9 the last three years and John has been a varsity starter since early in his freshman year. They have had a lot of great players. They have a high level of expectation in his program and we know that type of effort from John will carry over next year in our program as we take the next step towards building a championship-caliber program.
WHY JOHN McARTHUR CHOSE SANTA CLARA
"I chose Santa Clara because I really loved the coaching staff and the guys on the team. How they play fits my style, and the program has a sense of urgency to win. Coming from (ultra successful) De La Salle, that's what I like. I researched and visited a lot of schools and talked to a number of coaches. I asked players how they liked their program. Santa Clara kept coming out on top every time I made a comparison. I also want to thank my parents for all the support they've given to me, with all the driving and flying to games and camps. As a player at De La Salle, I have really learned the game, how to get in position and how to play hard. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to attend De La Salle and play for Coach Allocco. I want to also thank him and all the staff at De La Salle.
