May 11, 2007

NEWARK, NJ - Tyler Epps, a senior guard from North Mecklenburg High School near Charlotte, NC, has signed a National Letter of Intent to continue his academic and basketball career at New Jersey Institute of Technology, Highlanders coach Jim Casciano announced.

The 5-foot-11 Epps comes to NJIT after playing in one of the strongest high school programs in basketball-crazed North Carolina. North Mecklenburg, which was state 4A champion two years ago and runner-up in 2006, had five alumni active in NCAA Division I basketball in 2006-07.

Epps, who averaged 16 points per game as a senior, was chosen by the Charlotte Observer as its 2006-07 Lake Norman-area Player of the Year.

As a junior, he was the Most Valuable Player when North Meck won the North Carolina 4A West Regional championship game en route to its return visit to the state title game. He made numerous all-conference teams in his career, including his sophomore year, which he spent at Charlottesville High School in Virginia, averaging 12 points per game.

"He is an excellent outside shooter, which will be a huge help to us," said Casciano in announcing the signing. "One of the first things you notice is how well he shoots it, but then you look at the box score and you see that he does the little things.

"We also like the fact that he comes from a program with a history of being a big winner. You can see that he's a tough-minded kid who plays aggressively and he has a Division I-ready body, so we expect him to contribute for us right away."

Epps is the fourth NLI signee announced by NJIT men's basketball for the upcoming season. He joins one other player, guard Jheryl Wilson of Irvington, NJ and St. Benedict's Prep, as a signee in the late NLI signing period. The two signees from the early period were guard Justin Garris of Ledgewood, NJ and Delbarton School and forward Paulius Skema of Vilnius, Lithuania and Veritas Christian Academy in Fletcher, NC.