June 4, 2009
Tulsa, Oklahoma - University of Tulsa Head Basketball Coach Doug Wojcik announced today that D.J. Magley will transfer to the Golden Hurricane basketball program from Western Kentucky University. The announcement was made official today after Magley signed scholarship papers with the Hurricane.
Magley, a 6'9", 255-pound forward, will sit out the 2009-10 season and have two years of eligibility remaining when he becomes eligible for the 2010-11 campaign.
He spent the past two seasons at Western Kentucky University, where he played in 70 games and started 34 contests, as the Hilltoppers made the NCAA Tournament both years. Magley had career averages of 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds, while shooting 52-percent from the field.
"D.J. has a huge body and great skills. He has an excellent pedigree with his father and mother's background athletically. He brings a great IQ to the game as well as the ability to score and pass in the low post," said Wojcik. "He has experience of playing in the NCAA Tournament. He started as a true freshman at Western Kentucky, scored 18 points against Michigan at Thanksgiving and went on to play in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. He'll make us better immediately just by his presence in practice."
Magley started 33 of 36 games his freshman season as the Hilltoppers reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. He scored 4.8 points and grabbed 3.3 rebounds per game in 15.7 minutes of playing time. Magley had career-highs of 18 points against Michigan and eight rebounds against North Texas in his rookie season.
Last year, Magley played in all 34 games and averaged 11.0 minutes per game. He averaged 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds, while shooting 53-percent from the field and 69-percent from the free throw line. He had a season-high of eight points twice and seven rebounds one time. In his two seasons, Magley led Western Kentucky 13 times in blocked shots, six times in steals and four times in rebounds.
In WKU's NCAA first round win over Illinois, Magley had four points, six rebounds and two steals in 13 minutes.
Magley played his prep basketball at Bradenton (Fla.) Christian School where he lettered and started all four years, helping his school compile a four-year mark of 94-28. He left as the school's all-time leader in points (1,815), rebounds (1,269), assists (416) and blocked shots.
As a senior, Magley averaged 24.9 points, 14.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists, while earning All-America and all-state honors. He was named the Florida Gulf Coast Player of the Year and the Manatee County Player of the Year. In his junior season, Magley averaged 16.4 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists while earning county player of the year accolades and all-conference honors.
"D.J. is a very positive individual who comes from a very strong Christian family. When I talk about character, he really fits the mold of the rest of our team as far as having high character. He also has a great gift of communication. He'll be a great ambassador for TU basketball," added Wojcik.
Wojcik discussed a letter that he received from a Western Kentucky University professor, extolling the tremendous characteristics of Magley.
"For a professor from the school that he's leaving, to take the time to track my email down and feel compelled to write me a note about this young man's character, his presence and his work ethic, says a lot about D.J. and about how he was raised by his parents," said Wojcik.
"During the whole recruiting process, trust is a big thing. With D.J.'s dad, Dave, playing his collegiate basketball for Coach Ted Owens at Kansas, being a grandfather-like figure and living here, I think that had something to do with D.J. feeling comfortable about his decision to come to Tulsa," said Wojcik. "Beside ourselves, he knows that he would have people around him that care about him. I think that had a lot to do with his decision."
Magley's father, Dave, was Indiana Mr. Basketball, played four years at the University of Kansas and was the 28th pick in the 1982 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.