MACON, Ga. – Mercer University head men's basketball coach Bob Hoffman has announced the signing of junior college player Justin Cecil to a national letter of intent for 2010-11. Cecil joins the Bears from Central Florida Community College, where he played the 2009-10 season.

 

“Justin will give us a lot of options and can create problems for our opponents,” said MU head coach Bob Hoffman. “He's a quality perimeter shooter and has a high basketball IQ. He's got great court awareness and can really stretch defenses because of the way he shoots.

 

“We are very glad to have him as a part of our program.”

 

As a sophomore at Central Florida C.C., the 6'8”, 215-pound Cecil was the team's top three-point shooter by canning a total of 75 treys in 33 games played (2.3 made per game). He shot 43.6 percent from beyond the arc and ranked 15^th in the nation for three-point field goal percentage for NJCAA Division I players. 

 

Overall, Cecil averaged 11.6 points, grabbed 3.9 rebounds per game and shot nearly 47 percent from the field in helping lead the Patriots to a 26-7 record, the Mid-Florida Conference tournament championship and a berth in the Florida Community College Athletic Association championship tournament. He was a 78-percent free throw shooter and also registered 18 blocked shots, along with 49 assists, for CFCC.

 

Cecil, who will be a junior next season, is no stranger to the Atlantic Sun Conference either. Cecil played at the University of North Florida in 2007-08 as a freshman, appearing in 19 of the Ospreys' 29 games. He averaged 6.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, while also blocking 16 shots.

 

Cecil earned A-Sun All-Academic Team status as a freshman in 2007-08 and was a redshirt at UNF in 2008-09.

 

Cecil, a native of Lakeland, Fla., attended Lakeland Christian Academy (2007). He was a second team all-state performer as a senior.

 

Mercer finished last season with a 16-17 record overall and advanced all the way to the title game of the A-Sun tournament from the No. 6 seed position. The Bears were one of the league's most exciting teams, averaging more than 76 points per game, including 8.3 three-pointers made per game as a team (the 17^th best total in the nation).