Three sign with Gold Rush for basketball
April 16, 2008

NEW ORLEANS — Jamaan Kenner of LaPlace, La., and two from California — Harold Cleveland of Pasadena and Cordell Hadnot of Los Angeles — have signed scholarships to play men's basketball for Xavier University of Louisiana.

They are the first three to sign with the Gold Rush for the 2008-09 academic year.

Kenner, a 6-foot-4 guard, averaged 16 points a game during the 2007-08 season for East St. John High School of Reserve, La., and was chosen to the All-District 6-5A team. Kenner also was a member of an ESJ eight-student team which recently received second place in the Junior Engineering Technical Society's Tests of Engineering, Aptitude, Mathematics and Science Competition.

"Jamaan is a deep 3-point scorer," Xavier coach Dannton Jackson said. "He's very athletic, very rangy, and he defends well. He has a toughness on the perimeter. He can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket."

Cleveland, a 6-2 guard from Pasadena City College, led California's junior colleges with a school-record 25.6 scoring average this past season. He had seven 30-point games as a sophomore, including a school-record 48 points against San Jose City College in the season opener. Cleveland made 79 3-pointers in 27 games and shot 36 percent from that range.

"Harold is an exciting player and a deep 3-point scorer," Jackson said. "He has experience. He's unselfish, and he knows how to play and score."

Cleveland is a 2005 graduate of Pasadena's Muir High School.

Xavier seeks perimeter shooters to replace guard Mark Stewart, who completed his eligibility in March with 299 3-pointers, a school record and the fifth most in the history of Louisiana men's college basketball.

Hadnot, a 6-foot-7 center from Westchester High school, averaged 13 points and eight rebounds per game to help the Comets go 29-5, reach the semifinals of the city playoffs and the quarterfinals of the Southern California Regional Division I playoffs this past season. Hadnot was selected for the L.A. City Stars team in the 10th annual Collision All-Star games.

"Cordell is a great rebounder and a great passer," Jackson said. "He has unbelievable hands. He'll bring us a great inside presence. We needed a big body who can score around the basket."

Xavier, an NAIA Division I school, was 24-10 in 2007-08 and finished third in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. The Gold Rush qualified for the national tournament for a school-record fourth consecutive time.