NORFOLK, Va. – Head coach Robert Jones and the Norfolk State men's basketball program have signed a pair of junior college players in May as part of the ongoing construction of NSU's 2015 recruiting class.
 
Shooting guard Jonathan Wade and small forward Preston Bungei have recently signed national letters of intent to join the Spartan program for the 2015-16 season. The 6-foot-5 Wade will arrive at NSU from Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Fla. The 6-7 Bungei competed during the last two seasons at Trinidad State Junior College in Trinidad, Colo.
 
Wade averaged 11.3 points as a sophomore and 14.0 points as a freshman during his two years at Gulf Coast State. He tallied 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 42.2 percent overall and 33.8 percent from 3-point range during his freshman campaign in 2013-14 as Gulf Coast State went 16-13.
 
He shot 42.7 percent overall and slightly less than 30 percent from beyond the arc as a sophomore in 2014-15. Wade also added 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game and hit 72.5 percent from the free throw line that year to help the Commodores finish 19-10 overall.
 
"We were looking to improve our backcourt depth, and Jonathan Wade does exactly that for us," said Jones. "He played in arguably the toughest junior college conference in the country and was an all-league performer. At 6-5, he gives us the desired length for a wing player both offensively and defensively. He is a tenacious defender and a very capable shooter. We are very excited about having him in green and gold."
 
Wade earned first-team All-Panhandle Conference by the league's coaches in 2015 and was named honorable mention by the media, the latter of which recognized fewer players on the first and second teams. A native of Panama City, Wade played basketball at Rutherford High School and graduated in 2012. He will have two years to finish his last two seasons of eligibility after redshirting during his first year at Gulf Coast State in 2012-13 due to injury.
 
Bungei tallied 11.8 points and 8.6 rebounds during his sophomore season in 2014-15 at Trinidad State. He also added 2.1 assists and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.3 percent overall and 76.3 percent from the free throw line.
 
As a freshman in 2013-14, Bungei tallied 5.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. He shot 52.8 percent overall and also connected on 11-of-25 from 3-point range. He attended Cibola High School in Albuquerque, N.M., and graduated in 2013.
 
"Preston fits the mold of past guys like Marcos Tamares, Rob Johnson and Malik Thomas for us," Jones stated. "He is a hybrid 4 who at times can play the wing position. At 6-7, he gives us great versatility. He averaged almost nine rebounds per game in junior college, and that is always an area we can improve upon. He will probably be one of our best athletes on the team."
 
The duo pushes NSU's 2015 recruiting class to five following the signings of junior college transfer Brian Kelley and incoming freshmen Moses Toriola and Alex Long in the November signing period.
 
Jones is expected to sign at least one more player, if not more, as part of the 2015 recruiting class after losing eight players altogether from the 2014-15 squad, including seniors Jamel Fuentes, Malik Thomas, LaTre'e Russell, Paulius Vinogradovas, Jordan Weathers and Kievyn Lila-St. Rose, junior Hefeng Sun and freshman Deven Dorsett.
 
The Spartans return seven players from last year's squad.