Men’s Basketball signs duo to National Letters of Intent

AUSTIN, Texas – A pair of high school basketball standouts have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball next season at The University of Texas, head coach Rick Barnes announced Thursday. Jordan Barnett (St. Louis, Mo.) and Obie Oleka (Washington, D.C.) will join the Longhorns for the 2014-15 season.

“The addition of Jordan and Obie is another step in the right direction for our program,” Barnes said. “Considering the number of players that we have returning next year, we made a conscious effort that anyone we added to our program would need to build on the general culture of our program. We have also improved our talent level and become a much more athletic team by adding Jordan and Obie.”

Barnett (6-7, 190), a forward from Christian Brothers College High School who played under coach Bob McCormack, is ranked as the No. 83 prospect in the nation by ESPN and No. 101 by Rivals.com. As a junior last season, Barnett led CBC with 17.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots per game while hitting 37.6 percent of his three-point attempts. In his sophomore year, he helped the Cadets to the Class 5 quarterfinals by leading the team with 14.2 points, 6.8 boards and 1.7 blocked shots per game. Barnett also knocked down a team-high 48 three-pointers and led the team with a 48.5 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

“Jordan is a prototypical, athletic small forward,” Barnes said. “He is a good shooter and rebounder and a very high-character student-athlete.”

Oleka (6-7, 225), a power forward from State College of Florida (Bradenton, Fla.) who plays under head coach Elliot Washington, will enroll at UT this summer as a junior. In his freshman season at State College of Florida, he averaged 10.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while converting 55 percent from the floor. In his senior year at Florida Christian Institute (Cape Coral, Fla.), Oleka averaged 24.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game.

“Obie has a powerful, strong body and an excellent basketball IQ,” Barnes said. “He has an all-around skill set for a power forward, as he is a natural rebounder, a very good passer and can shoot the ball out to three-point range. Obie will add an additional physical presence to our team. His ability will be enhanced when he comes here, as he’ll be surrounded by other good players.”

2014-15 Texas Basketball Recruiting Class

Name                          Yr         Pos      Ht        Wt       Hometown (Previous School)

Jordan Barnett                  Fr.          F              6-7          190         St. Louis, Mo. (Christian Brothers College HS)

Obie Oleka                          Jr.           F             6-7          225        Washington, D.C. (State College of Florida)