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Owls Add Two Recruits

(FULTON, Mo., June 5) - Head Men's Basketball coach Drew Grzella has announced the signing of Kelsey Bardell and Elliott Black to a William Woods University Letter of Intent to play for the Owls in 2009-10. Bardell comes to William Woods from Waynesville High School in Waynesville, Mo. Black comes to William Woods from Harris-Stowe State University.

Bardell, a 6'4" forward, helped guide Waynesville High to a 21-7 record and a district championship during the 2008-09 season. Bardell, a native of Belgium, enrolled at Waynesville in November.

"Kelsey is a player that flew under a lot of people's radar because of only playing one season of high school basketball here in the US," said Coach Grzella. "He has a great feel for the game, and is a very skilled player that can play any of the guard positions. Even though he has the chance to help us right away, I'm excited to watch his game develop."

Black, a 6'6" forward, averaged 6.7 points per game and grabbed a team-high 136 rebounds his freshman season at American Midwest Conference rival Harris-Stowe State University. Because he is transferring within the AMC, league rules require Black to sit out the next conference season. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.

"I'm happy that Elliott has decided to join our program," said Coach Grzella. "He had a good freshman season for Harris-Stowe, and got a lot of valuable playing experience.  Elliott's willingness to sit out a season to prepare himself says a lot about him as a person and a player.  There's no doubt he will make great strides during his time at William Woods."