April 26, 2005

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman Paladins basketball coach Larry Davis announced today the signing of Alex Opacic from Bankstown, Australia, to a national letter of intent.

A 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward, Opacic joins 6-foot, 165-pound guard Tony Anderson of Greenville's J.L. Mann High School in comprising the Paladins' latest recruiting class.

Opacic averaged 18.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game in his final season at Westfields High School before being selected to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) this past year. AIS is considered the premier basketball development program in the country for future Olympians and professionals and has produced several players now competing collegiately in the United States, including 2004-05 national player-of-the-year Andrew Bogut of Utah, and Georgia Tech's Luke Schenscher.

Last year he competed on an Australian national team in the under 19 Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany that featured team from 16 countries.

"Alex is a great fit for our system due to his versatility as both a post-up player and potential as a perimeter scorer," said Davis on Tuesday. "He needs to improve his strength and gain some weight, but his basketball skill level -- from ballhandling, shooting, and passing ability -- is impressive."

Furman posted a 16-13 overall record and 9-7 league mark this past season for a fourth place finish in the Southern Conference South Division.