Meet the Freshmen: Pacific’s D.J. Ursery
By James Pigott
Jan 4, 2014; Spokane, WA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few (left) shakes hands with Pacific Tigers head coach Ron Verlin after a game at McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs beat Tigers 86-64. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
The Pacific Tigers are in total rebuild mode after losing 7 seniors and 2 transfers, including seven of their eight top scorers from last years squad. The Tigers only return 16.6% of their minutes from last season and only 15.5% of their points.
With a host of junior college transfers and freshmen on the upcoming season’s roster, one player who will look to break away from the pack is highly touted freshman guard D.J. Ursery.
At Crespi High School
As a junior in 2012-13, he averaged 9.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists and earned Second Team All-Mission League honors. During his senior year, Ursery averaged 16.6 points per game, 8.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game according to MaxPreps.com.
During his high school career, the 6’3 Ursery was known as a long athlete in transition and an excellent spot up shooter. In ESPN’s 2014 final recruiting rankings, he was ranked as the #51 shooting guard in the country, and the 26th best prospect coming out of California.
Impact at Pacific
With so many new players on the Pacific roster, Ursery will likely be seeing quality minutes in Ron Verlin’s rotation next season, and could very well be a starter. He will attempt to replace the outside shooting of Trevin Harris and Aaron Short on the wing, and he could potentially add more quickness and athleticism than those two players had.
It will interesting to see if Ursery and T.J. Wallace will mesh well on the court, as they seem to have similar skillsets and position. If these two can coexist, expect to see a lot of D.J. Ursery over the next few years in Stockton.