July 15, 2010

In addition to the pillars of the class of 2014, early signers Chris Thompson (Burlington, N.J.) and Kerry Weldon (New York, N.Y.), Head Coach Greg Herenda welcomes four more that will join the River Hawks this fall.

“I am very excited about our incoming class,” Herenda said. “You never know with freshmen, but this group is athletic, long and skilled. The thing I like about them collectively is that they all love to play the game and love to be in the gym.”

Hailing from Miami, Fla. Antonio Bivins just completed his senior year at American High School in Miami, playing for Coach Kelvin Farrington. The 6-5, 180 pound Bivins also plays for the Gulf Coast AAU under Coach Jared Lazarus.

Jimmy McDonnell (Jackson, NJ), another product of the Garden State, played under Coach Joe Fagan for both the Jackson Memorial High School Jaguars and the New Jersey Shoreshots AAU team. McDonnell is 6-9 and weighs 200 pounds. He plans to major in civil engineering at UMass Lowell.

Direct from Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass., Darrell Ward (White Plains, NY) is 6-7 and weighs 220 pounds. Prior to Notre Dame Prep, where he played under Coach Ryan Hurd, he played at White Plains High School for Coach Spencer Mayfield. He also played for the Westchester Hawks for Coach Phil Diasparra.

The final member of the class, originally from Brockton, Mass., is Akeem Williams, who played at Winchendon Prep for Coach Mike Byrnes. He is 5-10 and weighs 195 pounds and also played for Coach Mark Papas with the Boston Warriors AAU Team.

“Obviously we have some holes to fill, but we are bringing players that can do a lot of things and I think they will fit perfectly into our system,” Herenda said. “My staff and I are very excited and I think our fans will be, as well.”