Persistant Redhawks staff signs Raytown's Maxwell

~ The high school forward is called as a relentless rebounder.

Although he was recruited by some impressive mid-major basketball programs, Southeast Missouri State's persistence made quite an impact on JaJuan Maxwell.

On Thursday, Maxwell rewarded the Redhawks' coaches for their efforts -- most notably chief recruiter Ronnie Dean -- as he signed a national letter of intent with Southeast.

"Some schools would contact me, then I might not hear from them for a while, but SEMO showed interest the entire time," Maxwell said. "Coach Dean recruited me the most. I really liked him, and the other coaches.

"I'm very excited about coming to SEMO. When I visited, I liked the environment, the players, the coaches, the school, everything."

Maxwell, a 6-foot-6, 205-pound senior forward at Raytown (Mo.) High School, near Kansas City, averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocked shots per game as a junior to earn Class 5 second team all-state honors.

"JaJuan is an outstanding young man who is a relentless rebounder," Southeast coach Gary Garner said. "Once he puts on a little weight, we think he'll be able to play either forward position. He's a good athlete with a lot of potential.

"He's also an excellent student who has already made his test score."

Creighton and Wichita State were among other programs to show considerable interest in Maxwell, who plays primarily inside for his high school team, although Raytown coach Mark Scanlon doesn't envision his star having trouble shifting to a forward position in college.

"He plays inside for us because we're small, but he can step outside and shoot," Scanlon said. "He's a very good athlete, and he's a great kid. The people there will love him."

Southeast also expects to land another high school senior from the Kansas City area during the weeklong early signing period that began Wednesday.

Roderick Pearson, a 6-2 point guard at Raytown South High School, has given Southeast a verbal commitment, although Garner cannot comment on a recruit until he receives the signed letter of intent.

Pearson recently told the Southeast Missourian, "I'm excited about coming [to Southeast]. When I visited, I really liked the players and the coaches."