WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State received National Letters of Intent from Danish 7-footer
Asbjorn Midtgaard [
pronounced Az-BURN MEET-guard] and junior college point guard
Samajae Haynes-Jones during the fall signing period.
Haynes-Jones [6-0, 170, G, Wichita, Kan.] averaged over 15 points per game as a freshman last year and helped key Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College to an NJCAA national runner-up finish. Prior to that, he was a First Team All-State performer for a Wichita East High School squad that won the 2015 Class 6A State Championship.
"As a staff, we're excited to be bringing in a player of his caliber," Marshall said, "But we're also excited for Samajae. He's a Wichita kid who made it his goal to come back home and play for the Shockers. He wants to be great. He's a gym rat. He's tough and competitive, and he's going to have a big sophomore year for Coach Steve Eck and the Blue Dragons."
Haynes-Jones joins recent graduate
Evan Wessel (Wichita Heights HS) and redshirt junior
Conner Frankamp (Wichita North HS) on a list of recent City League products who have landed at Wichita State.
Midtgaard -- a native of Helsingor, Denmark – continues another recent trend of foreign signees. He will be the 18
th international player in program history and the 11
th in Marshall's WSU coaching tenure.
Midgtaard (7-0, 270) is in just his fifth season of competitive basketball but has improved rapidly. He's spent the past three years competing against some of Denmark's most seasoned professionals as a member of the Danish League's Horsholm 79'ers and is averaging 10 points and 9.2 rebounds through five games this season. He will be a freshman next fall.
Marshall said:
"Asbjorn possesses two important qualities that you look for in a post player: hustle and muscle. Obviously the first thing about Asbjorn that jumps out at you is his size. He's 7-feet and a chiseled 270, even though he's only been lifting weights for about six months now. But we were equally impressed by his charisma, both as a player and a person, and his passion for the game of basketball. He's developed a nice skillset around the basket and is getting better by the day."
SAMAJAE HAYNES-JONES
6-0 | 170 | G
Wichita, Kan. / East HS / Hutchinson (Kan.) CC
Pass-first point guard with good scoring ability… A hard-nosed player who takes pride in his defensive performance…
Junior College
Sophomore point guard for a Hutchinson team that begins the 2016-17 season ranked No. 6 nationally… As a freshman, helped lead the Blue Dragons to a 32-6 record, a Jayhawk Conference title and an NJCAA National Runner-Up finish… Averaged 15.4 points, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steal in 37 games in 2015-16.. Scored a season-high 33 points in a 116-90 quarterfinal win over defending national champion Northwest Florida State… Named to Region VI All-Tournament Team and was a second-team all-conference selection during the regular season… Coached by Steve Eck… Recruited by Cincinnati, East Tennessee State, Houston, Illinois State and Robert Morris, among others.
High School
An all-state performer at Wichita East… Named one of Kansas' five best players by the Wichita Eagle after leading the Aces to the 2015 Class 6A State Championship during his senior season… The last three wins in the state title run came on his future home floor, WSU's Charles Koch Arena… Averaged 15.6 points for the year and was voted Class 6A All-State by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association (KBCA)… Also landed first team all-city and all-metro honors… As a junior picked up a second team all-city nod and was a 6A honorable mention all-state pick by the KBCA, while helping East to a third-place finish at state… Team went 45-4 over his final two seasons, including 24-1 in his last go-around…
Coached by Joe Jackson… Core of teammates included two other Division I signees (Zach Jackson at Nebraska-Omaha and Xavier Kelly, a dual-sport athlete and top-100 football recruit who now plays defensive end for Clemson).
ASBJORN MIDTGAARD
[Az-BERN MEET-Guard]
7-0 | 270 | C
Helsingor, Denmark / Espergaerde Gymnasium
A potential game-changer on both ends of the floor… Physically imposing and is rapidly developing a skillset to match… First name "Asbjorn" is Danish for "God's Bear."… Turned 19 on Sept. 20… Took up competitive basketball at age 14 and is still relatively new to the game but has made quick progress with his skill development… Has spent the past three seasons competing against older professionals in the Danish League for the Horsholm 79'ers… Currently averaging 10 points and 9.2 rebounds through five games. The latter currently ranks third on the league leaderboard… Totals are vastly improved from 2015-16 when he averaged 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 32 games… Put up 5.0 points and 4.7 boards in 27 games in 2014-15…
