May 1, 2002
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina head basketball coach Steve Shurina announced that he has completed his recruiting class for the 2002-03 season with the addition of Jared Outing and Taylor Yanchar.
Outing is a 6-7, 200-pound post player who hails from Dreher High School in Columbia, S.C. He was an all-conference selection this past season, averaging 14.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots per contest. He was an 3A All-Region V pick and was selected to play in the annual South Carolina North-South All-Star Game. Outing led his team to a 19-8 record and the semifinals of the South Carolina Lower State, falling to eventual champion Myrtle Beach.
"As a junior, Jared was a national top 100 player so he is recognized as having ability," Shurina said. "We felt he was exactly what we were looking for in getting us more athletic and better on the boards rebounding. He has the skill to play on the perimeter, but the strength to play inside as well."
Yanchar (Clearwater, Fla./Countryside HS) is a 6-11, 285-pound center. He set a school record with 59 blocked shots this past season and shot an impressive 60.2 percent from the field.
"Taylor has two things you can not teach and that is great size and great hands," Shurina said. "He is a late bloomer who has really come along in the last year. If he continues to improve over the next two-to-three years like he did this past season, he will be a force in the Southern Conference."
Outing and Yanchar join fellow future Catamounts Corey Muirhead (6-6 wing) and David Berghoefer (6-10 center) as part of Shurina's recruiting class.
"As a staff, we thought we need to get bigger or more athletic with this years recruiting class," Shurina said. "We felt we have been able to address both of those needs with these four student-athletes. Corey and Jared are as athletic as anyone we have on the team right now and Taylor and David are bigger than anyone we currently have."
These four will join a Catamount team that returns seven lettermen and two players that redshirted last season. Headlining the list of returning players is Kevin Martin, who was a Freshman All-American and finished the season ranked 11th nationally in scoring (22.1 avg.).
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