HAMMOND, La. – Fresh off a Southland Conference title and NIT appearance, Jay Ladner and the Southeastern Louisiana men's basketball coaching staff parlayed their on-court success into a highly successful recruiting season.
 
Ladner announced Friday five players will be joining the program for the 2018-19 season, four of which come from the high-school ranks.
 
"Anytime you can get a high school player to come in, where we have a chance to build over the course of time, you can see the positive effects of us doing that with our program," Ladner said. "The fact we have a number of returners also affords us the time to develop those guys. We love the fact we can still go get a junior college guy, but our high school guys are certainly talented enough they'll be competing for playing time immediately. We're very excited about this class."
 
Tyron Brewer, a member of the Mississippi Dandy Dozen and a three-star recruit (Scout), begins his college career at Southeastern after graduating from Meridian High School in Meridian, Mississippi.
 
"He's certainly one of our most high-profile signees," Ladner said. "I've got to give coach Kyle Roane the credit, targeting Ty early on and building a strong relationship. He's long, athletic and bouncy, and will make an immediate impact. He'll have a great career here at Southeastern."
 
Pape Diop, a Senegal native, comes to Southeastern by way of Chipola College. As a freshman, the 6-foot-8 forward averaged 7.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He shot better than 50 percent from the floor and was an 84 percent free-throw shooter.
 
"He's long and can really shoot the basketball," Ladner said. "Coming from one of the nation's top junior college programs, he'll still have three years left. It's the best of both worlds, a young man that already has college baseball experience at the highest level in junior college. He'll be able to assimilate faster to the Division I game."
 
A local product, Parker Edwards was a 2,000-point scorer at St. Paul's School in Covington, Louisiana. The guard was named to the 5A All-State squad after averaging 23.6 points and 6.6 rebounds as a senior, helping lead St. Paul's to the state championship game.
 
"Our recruiting starts inside out and he fits that mold," Ladner said. "He's one of the top scorers in the history of St. Paul's, one of the best basketball programs in the state. He's 6-foot-3 and can really shoot it. We identified him early and have been recruiting him since he was a junior. Before his career is done, I think he will have a huge impact on our program and the fact that he is local will mean that much more to our fans."
 
Willie Lapoole was an All-State performer at Ouachita Parish High School this past season, averaging 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks as a senior.
 
"He's another long player at 6-foot-8 and fits our style of play," Ladner said. "I saw him play last year and love the progress he's made as well as his potential. He has the ability to shoot the ball and can make an immediate impact for us."
 
Jeremiah Saunders helped lead Northeast High School to state regionals, falling a win shy of qualifying for the tournament.
 
"Because of coach David Kiefer's work and effort, we were able to beat out much larger offers," Ladner said. "He's a high-level recruit that has a chance to be one of the best players in Southeastern history."
 
After Southeastern's first NCAA postseason trip in 13 seasons, the Lions will need to replace six seniors.
 
"This is the strongest class, on paper, that we've ever brought in," Ladner said. "We're really excited about that. Some guys adjust quicker to Division I than others, but we'll have most of our guys here for the summer."
 
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2018 Southeastern Louisiana Men's Basketball Recruiting Class

Tyron Brewer	guard	6-6	Meridian, Mississippi	Meridian HS
Pape Diop	forward	6-8	Senegal	Chipola College
Parker Edwards	guard	6-3	Covington, Louisiana	St. Paul's HS
Willie Lapoole, Jr.	forward	6-8	Monroe, Louisiana	Ouachita Parish HS
Jeremiah Saunders	guard	6-3	Oakland Park, Florida	Northeast HS