FMU men’s basketball adds two Palmetto cagers

Francis Marion University men’s basketball coach Gary Edwards has announced the signing of 6-2 guard Evrik Gary of Camden to a national letter of intent and that Hemingway native Bryant Julious will transfer from USC Salkehatchie to FMU.

Gary was a key member of Camden’s 2009 AAA state championship squad, scoring 23 points in the title game. This past season, he averaged 16.8 points, 4.1 steals, and 3.2 assists per game for coach Ron McKie’s 25-2 Bulldog squad. Gary connected on 45 percent of his field goal attempts and shot 86 percent at the free throw stripe.

A two-time All-Region selection, he was chosen for the North-South All-Star Game, where he won the three-point shooting competition, and was a participant in the CSRA All-Star Game. He was also named a South Carolina High School League Scholar Athlete following his senior season, and was an honor graduate.

Julious, a 5-11 190-pound guard, helped lead USC Salkehatchie to the 2009 Region X championship. He averaged 10 points, 3.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game, and was named his squad’s most valuable player. He connected on 36.1 percent of his three-point field goal attempts and 79.5 percent of his free throws. In the backcourt, he also handed out nearly twice as many assists as turnovers committed.

As a freshman, he averaged 3.4 ppg.

During his prep career playing for coach Barry McFadden at Hemingway, he set the Tigers’ career scoring record with 1,699 points. He was a two-time All-State selection and was chosen to participate in the South Carolina/North Carolina All-Star Game.

“Evrik comes from a winning program and he is accustomed to ‘cutting down the nets’,” said Edwards. “He will grow with our program and has the potential to be an outstanding Peach Belt Conference guard. He is also an outstanding student who has earned numerous academic awards during his time at Camden.

“When I first came to FMU, I recruited Bryant out of Hemingway High School. He has gained experience on the junior college level and is ready to lead a Peach Belt Conference team. We not only look for Bryant to direct our attack on the court, but as an outstanding student, he can be an example for our younger players.

“I am extremely pleased we have been able to attract two highly qualified student-athletes from South Carolina to join our program.”

Francis Marion finished the 2008-09 season with a 16-12 record.