Motlow College men’s head basketball coach Matt Sligh has added another highly-touted student athlete to his roster with the announcement that Axel Magnuson, who prepped at Rossview High School in Clarksville, will be a member of the 2014-15 Bucks.
He is the eighth signee announced by Sligh to join an already talented Motlow squad. Six of the eight additions are from Tennessee, fulfilling Sligh’s goal of signing the most talented players in the state.
Magnuson, a 6’3” shooting guard, averaged 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game as a high school senior, while shooting 40% from three-point range and 75% from the free-throw line. He intended on being a preferred walk-on at Austin Peay State University last season, but instead decided to sit out the year.
Motlow basketball signee Axel Magnuson
Photo provided by Motlow Sports
“Axel is a great shooter and hard-nosed competitor,” said Sligh. “He had an outstanding prep career at Rossview, and after a year off he is eager to get back to playing college basketball.
“We needed to improve our consistency in making three-point shots and Axel will help us do that,” continued Sligh. “He will bring maturity to our roster and understands fully what it means to be a true teammate. He will work extremely hard individually at his game and will buy into our program fully. I look forward to coaching Axel, and the Motlow community will enjoy him as a student athlete.”
Rossview head coach Johnny Jackson saw much more from Magnuson than just his ability to put the ball in the basket.
“Axel had an outstanding senior season,” said Jackson. “He has an uncanny ability to score the ball, including a European flare to his game because of his deep three-point range. But he also is a very unselfish player and sees the floor really well.”
Magnuson is part of one of the most impressive recruiting classes in the 45-year history of Motlow College basketball. The incoming freshman class includes players from two different state championship teams, one from a state runner-up, and two from a team that had an undefeated regular season.
Coach Sligh will gather his squad during the final week of August as Motlow classes are scheduled to begin Aug. 25. The team will hold a skills clinic the following weekend on the Copperweld Arena floor inside Nisbett Center on the Moore County campus.
Young basketball players age kindergarten through grade twelve are invited to sign up for the upcoming camp, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 30, from 9am-noon. Campers will learn the basic fundamentals of winning basketball as well as have an opportunity to meet the Bucks’ players and to watch them perform drills and contests.
The clinic is open to both boys and girls, and the cost is $25 per camper or $40 for two children from the same family. To register for the clinic visit the Motlow athletics web site (www.MotlowSports.com) or email Coach Sligh at (msligh@mscc.edu).
Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at <www.motlowsports.com> for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics at <Facebook/MotlowSports> and <Twitter@MotlowSports>.
