BILLINGS, Mont. – Montana State University Billings head men's basketball coach Mick Durham unveiled this season's six-man incoming class, which includes five transfers and one true freshman, on Thursday.
 
"In this initial signing class, we filled some important needs that we had, which were point guard and power forward," Durham said. "We tried to get older. Our base of guys coming back is pretty young, so we wanted to add some experience the best we could."
 
This group also includes two athletes with Division I basketball experience: Damen Thacker and Bilal Shabazz, both of whom played in the Big Sky Conference at the University of Idaho and Montana State, respectively.
 
 
Emmanuel Akpan
Wing — 6'5"
Rocklin High School
Rocklin, CA
 
The lone true freshman of the recruiting class, Emmanuel Akpan comes to Billings from Rocklin, Calif., where he was a two-year varsity letterwinner at Rocklin High School and a quick inductee into the Rocklin Basketball Hall of Fame.
 
During his highly decorated high school basketball career, Akpan averaged 23 points and six rebounds per game — the former being one of the highest averages in school history. He was a first-team All-SFL league selection as a senior, improving on his second team All-SFL league honors earned as a junior.  As a senior, Akpan was a team captain, made the Sacramento Bee's Fab 40 list and played in the 2021 All-Star Optimist Game. His career-high single-game scoring effort is 36 points.
 
Coach Durham on Akpan: "He's very athletic with a big upside. He has a hunger about him, and has a chip on his shoulder to be a good player. I wanted to finish recruiting with a good wing, and being able to get a high school player like Emman on the roster will be good for us."
 
Akpan on choosing MSUB: "The reason why I chose MSUB is because the coaches are giving me a chance to improve and do what I love. After visiting the campus and meeting the coaches, I knew this was the right place for me."
 

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Kaden Bradley
Forward — 6'7"
Cañada College/Cal State Dominguez Hills
Chico High School
Chico, CA
 
Kaden Bradley enters his final year of eligibility at MSUB after spending the past two seasons on the roster at Cal State Dominguez Hills. During his junior year, Bradley averaged 6.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game for the Toros — all while starting in 24 of the 29 games in which he played. He set his Division II career-high with 13 points twice: first against GNAC school Simon Fraser, then against Cal Poly Pomona on Jan. 11, 2020.
 
Bradley was not able to follow up his junior year, as Cal State Dominguez Hills' 2020-21 season was canceled due to COVID-19.
 
Prior to Cal State Dominguez Hills, he had a two-year stint at Cañada College, located in Redwood City, Calif. As a sophomore, Bradley averaged 15.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, earning him all-conference selection and 2018 Santa Rosa Tournament MVP honors.
 
Before his collegiate career, Bradley was a first-team Eastern Athletic-Sac River League All-First Team selection, plus he helped Chico High School win the section championship as a junior.
 
Coach Durham on Bradley: "He gives us some great experience at the power forward spot. He started for Cal State Dominguez Hills a year ago and is a grad transfer. He comes in with one year of eligibility, but he's pretty solid in all areas — hitting open threes, posting up, and defending a lot of different positions."
 
Bradley on choosing MSUB: "I chose MSUB because the coaching staff is great, Coach Durham has won Coach of the Year in the GNAC, and he has lots of experience under his belt. Also, I'm able to start my master's program here."
 

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Jaren Fritz
Guard — 6'4"
Sheridan Community College/Northwest Community College
Glenrock High School
Glenrock, WY
 
Arriving in Billings as a sophomore with two years of experience in the junior college ranks, Fritz spent the 2020-21 season averaging 13.9 points per game and starting in all 17 games he appeared in for Northwest Community College. He set a new collegiate high by scoring 30 points in a win over Western Nebraska Community College, averaged 2.8 made threes per game and connected on 87.5% of his free throws.
 
Prior to Northwest Community College, Fritz appeared in 19 games for Sheridan Community College during the 2019-20 season. He came off the bench to score a season-high nine points against Casper College on Feb. 22, 2020.
 
In high school, Fritz lettered in basketball, golf, baseball and track. A 1,600-point career scorer and an all-state selection, Fritz ranks ninth all-time in Wyoming boys basketball history in made three-pointers. During his prep career, he was a four-time all-conference selection and he was selected to play in the Wyoming-Montana All-Star Game.
 
Outside of basketball, Fritz was the 2017 2A Individual Boys Golf State Champion, threw a no-hitter during Glenrock baseball's state title run in 2015, plus he ran a leg on Glenrock's 4x100 team that won a 2A state title in 2019.
 
Coach Durham on Fritz: "He's your prototypical shooting guard, and he brings us the ability to stretch the floor with his shooting ability. He has a scoring mentality. We were aware of him in high school out of Wyoming and has grown a few inches since then."
 
Fritz on choosing MSUB: "I chose MSUB because it has everything I need for my educational and athletic future. I have developed a great relationship with the coaches, and it will be very fun to play for a coaching staff that believes in me. Coach Durham is a great coach who has a lot of experience with winning, and I am excited to play and be a part of a winning culture in Billings."
 

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Jo Jones
Guard — 5'11"
Gillette Community College/Barton Community College
Webster Groves High School
St. Louis, MO
 
A quick guard with two years of junior college experience, Jo Jones comes to Billings by way of Barton Community College and Gillette Community College. Most recently as a sophomore at Barton Community College, Jones averaged 2.0 points and 1.3 assists per game in a reserve role for the Cougars.
 
As a freshman at Gillette Community College, Jones averaged 6.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while playing for MSUB Assistant Coach Shawn Neary. He scored a season-high 15 points twice: First against Rocky Mountain College on Nov. 16, 2019, and then against Lake Region State on Dec. 6, 2019.
 
Jones was a four-year varsity letterwinner at Webster Groves High School, located in St. Louis, Missouri. In high school, he was a second-team all-conference selection and a first-team all-conference runner-up, in addition to winning all-defense and sportsmanship awards.
 
Coach Durham on Jones: "Jo is a point guard who can defend and push the pace. He brings us quickness; he's a fast, distributing point guard who can really pick up the pace for us."
 
Jones on choosing MSUB: "I love the Northwest and the environment it brings. I chose MSUB because I was blessed to receive a scholarship to play basketball here."
 

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Bilal Shabazz
Wing — 6'8"
Trinidad State Junior College/Montana State University
Pius XI Catholic High School
Milwaukee, WI
 
One of two newcomers with Division I basketball experience, Bilal Shabazz is a 6'8" wing who showed a knack for outside shooting, rebounding and post defense during his junior college years at Trinidad State Junior College. He parlayed a productive two-year stint in the JuCo ranks into a season at Montana State, at which he appeared in five games during the 2020-21 season. The highlight of his Division I career came against the eventual Big Sky champion Eastern Washington Eagles on Feb. 13, 2021, when Shabazz came off the bench and scored a season-high seven points.
 
Prior to MSU, Shabazz spent two years at Trinidad State Junior College, where he started in 45 of his 59 career games. Shabazz made an immediate impact for the Trojans, averaging 12.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game — all of which were team-highs. He followed up that season with a near-identical sophomore campaign, in which he averaged 12.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in 2019-20. His 357 points led the team as a sophomore, plus he set a new career-high with a 34-point outing against McCook Community College on Jan. 25, 2020.
 
All told, Shabazz recorded 38 double-digit scoring outings, 13 games with 10 or more rebounds, plus he made over 37% of his threes in both seasons at Trinidad State.
 
A Milwaukee native, Shabazz prepped at Pius XI Catholic High School. He was a Woodland Division Honorable Mention selection as a senior in 2017-18.
 
Coach Durham on Shabazz: "He brings us some experience at the power forward spot. He's a stretch four, and he has the ability to shoot the basketball."
 
Shabazz on choosing MSUB: "I chose MSUB because I felt that I could be myself here, and I believe in the coaches and the plans they have for us this year. I feel like it could be my home for the rest of my college career."
 

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Damen Thacker
Guard — 6'0"
Southern Virginia/Walla Walla CC/University of Idaho
Mountain View High School
Meridian, ID
 
A former walk-on turned co-captain and starter, Damen Thacker averaged 7.9 points per game during his two-year stint at the University of Idaho.
 
As a senior in 2020-21, he was the Vandals' leading scorer at 10.8 points per game. During Big Sky play, he averaged 11.8 points in 26.6 minutes per game, while setting new Division I single-game career-highs in points (27 versus Southern Utah), made threes (four versus Montana State) and steals (four versus Weber State). He was also one of the Big Sky's most accurate free-throw shooters last season; his 84.9% clip from the charity stripe ranked fourth in the conference.
 
Prior to Idaho, Thacker had two decorated seasons at Walla Walla Community College, in which he earned a spot on the Northwest Athletic Conference's All-Eastern Region First Team, and helped the Warriors to the NWAC Championship game. In his final year, he averaged 22.5 points per game — good for fifth in the NWAC — and 3.2 assists per game.
 
Thacker started his collegiate career at Southern Virginia University, a Division III school based out of Buena Vista, Va. He appeared in five games for the Knights before sustaining a season-ending injury.
 
A native of Meridian, Idaho, Thacker was a three-sport varsity letterwinner at Mountain View High School. A two-time team captain, Thacker was a first-team all-conference selection and won the 2016 Idaho State dunk contest as a senior. In his senior year, he averaged 16 points, five rebounds and three assists per game.
 
Coach Durham on Thacker: "Damen gives us some experience at the guard position. Having played the last two years at Idaho as a scoring point guard, we can use him in both guard positions."
 
Thacker on choosing MSUB: "I chose MSUB for the opportunity to continue my basketball, as well as my academic career, with hopes of reaching the pros. Coach Durham and Coach Fennelly gave me a great visit to Billings and are absolutely the right fit for what I am trying to achieve with my life. I look forward to getting on campus to begin this new chapter in my life, as well as representing the Yellowjackets on the court for my final collegiate year."