SHAWNEE – The Oklahoma Baptist men's basketball staff has announced the signing of seven players to the 2023 recruiting class.
The additions include Trevin Wade (Alcorn State), Jose Waring (Trevecca Nazarene), Efe Sekeroglu (Virginia Episcopal School), T.J. Strong (Edmond North), Nate Wilson (South Georgia Technical College), Terry Coner Jr. (Pinson Valley), and Daniel Ransom (Cape Fear Community College).
"What an exciting day for our program to share with fans and the OBU community," said head coach Jason Eaker. "It was eye-opening and reinvigorating to see the amount of high school and junior college young men who can impact winning as we recruited all year. The addition of these newcomers will aid a staff and a group of returning players with championship-level attributes needed to pursue titles in the future."
Wade (5-11, 180), a guard, joins the Bison after a one-year stint at Alcorn State. As a member of the Braves, Wade played in 26 games and started 17. He averaged 4.8 ppg on a 38.7 field-goal percentage, dished out 26 assists, and pulled down 45 rebounds.
A high point of Wade's 2022-23 season came on a 16-point night against Arkansas Pine Bluff in February. The Marietta, GA native scored the sum shooting 85.7 (6-7) percent from the field and added four rebounds to his stat sheet. Prior to his stop at Alcorn, Wade spent one season at Wichita State, a year at Georgia Highlands College, and another at South Plains College in Texas.
As a sophomore at Georgia Highlands, Wade earned second-team NJCAA Division I All-American honors and was named the GCAA/Region 17 Player of the Year. That season, he averaged 17.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals. Additionally, he hit 66 threes at a 34.6 percent shooting clip.
He is the younger brother of former Oklahoma Baptist basketball star Antonio Wade, who played with OBU in 2018-19.
Waring (6-7, 205), a forward, comes to Shawnee after spending his freshman season at Trevecca Nazarene. The Georgetown, Texas, native averaged 10.0 ppg in 21 games of action with the Trojans. He shot 60.0 percent from the floor and brought down 110 rebounds, averaging 5.3 per game. Waring also charted 23 assists and 11 blocks.
Waring scored a career-high 21 points against Northwood on January 19, a contest where he shot 63.6 percent from the field. Last season, he reached double figures in points 13 times and recorded two double-doubles.
Sekeroglu (6-10, 206), a native of Turkey, will join the Bison after a stellar high school career at Virginia Episcopal School. He averaged a double-double as a senior, scoring 13.5 ppg and pulling down 11.7 rebounds per contest. Sekeroglu racked up 458 points and 399 rebounds in 34 games played. He even set a new school record for rebounds (28) in a game.
Sekeroglu earned All-BRAC first-team honors while leading the state (VISSA D2) in rebounds. Additionally, he was named to the 2022 Christmas Classic All-Tourney team.
Sekeroglu also played on the Turkish U19 and U18 teams, competing in the European Championships since 2020. He has scored 15 points in eight games, including a game-high of six in 2021 against Fethiye.
Strong (6-7, 210), a forward, joins OBU following a illustrious prep career that featured back-to-back state championships. An All-State honorable mention and All-COAC third team selection last season, Strong compiled 458 points and 253 rebounds.
He averaged 9.0 ppg and 4.0 rebounds per game during the season and 10.0 ppg and 4.0 rebounds per contest while in the state tournament.
Wilson (6-8, 205), a forward, comes to Oklahoma Baptist after spending two seasons at South Georgia Technical College. In 62 games with the Jets, Wilson totaled 420 points, 391 rebounds, 89 blocks, and 54 steals.
His best year came in 2022-23, where he averaged 9.3 ppg and brought down 8.7 rebounds per contest. Wilson led the team in blocks (52) and rebounds (243), while ranking second in steals (33) and third in points (261).
Wilson, a native of Auckland, New Zealand, landed spots on the GCAA All-Defensive Team and All-Region squad for his efforts.
Coner Jr. (6-0, 180), a guard, was a premier player at Pinson Valley High School in Alabama. As a senior, he averaged 17.0 ppg, 5.1 rebounds per game, and 2.8 assists per contest. At the conclusion of his career, he'd scored 1,000 points.
His prep accolades are as follows: ASWA Class 6A first team All-State, 6A Northern Regional All-Tournament team, Heritage Thanksgiving Tournament MVP, AREA 12 6A All-Tournament MVP, and AL.com All-Birmingham Basketball second team.
Ransom (6-4, 214), a forward, is the final signee of this year's class. A native of Charlotte, N.C., Ransom spent the last two seasons at Cape Fear Community College. In 2020-21, he started his college career at Western Carolina, seeing action in 16 games.
In 47 games with the Sea Devils, he made 40 starts and scored 493 points. As a sophomore, Ransom ranked second on the team in scoring (13.2 ppg), while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. He added the most rebounds (251), averaging 9.3 per game, and the fifth-most steals (23).
Ransom reached double figures in points 23 times in 2022-23, including a season-high of 21 points against Pitt Community College in December. During the year, he had a double-digit scoring streak of 19 games and posted 12 games with 10-plus rebounds.
"Getting the opportunity to play or coach basketball at Oklahoma Baptist University is an opportunity of a lifetime," said Eaker. We narrowed our focus this spring, first internally and then on the recruiting trail, in building our roster with young men that understand the value of Oklahoma Baptist and the strong foundation set by our former players."
2023 Oklahoma Baptist Recruiting Class
Trevin Wade
G, 5-11, 180
Marietta, Ga. (Alcorn State)
Jose Waring
F, 6-7, 205
Georgetown, Texas (Trevecca Nazarene)
Efe Sekeroglu
F, 6-10, 206
Turkey (Virginia Episcopal School)
TJ Strong
F, 6-7, 210
Edmond, Okla. (Edmond North HS)
Nate Wilson
F, 6-8, 205
Auckland, New Zealand (South Georgia Technical College)
Terry Coner Jr.
G, 6-0, 180
Birmingham, Ala. (Pinson Valley)
Daniel Ransom
F, 6-5, 214
Charlotte, NC (Cape Fear Community College)
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