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Mens Basketball By Tim Trower,For the Tidings Apr 15, 2006 12:00 AM A A Raiders load up with new recruits Brian is one thoroughbred away from hitting a recruiting trifecta. The Southern Oregon University men& s basketball coach will lose a couple of horses to graduation, but he& s trying to restock his stable largely with players from the region. On Thursday, signed Grants Pass post Jason Nunnemaker to a scholarship. Two weeks ago, high-scoring Roseburg post Eric Thompson inked with the Raiders. As recruiting enters the stretch run, only Hidden Valley guard Jordan Hayter is left to be reined in from southern Oregon. & That& s what we& re hoping,& said , who, in 10 seasons with the Raiders, has elevated the program to national prominence. & He told us we& re No. — right now.& The 6-foot-3 Hayter averaged 16.2 points as Hidden Valley won the Class 3A state championship with a 27-1 record, and he was named state player of the year. was on the ground floor in recruiting Hayter and was cognizant of the Mustang star& s athleticism & Hayter was one of the state& s top defenders and excels in the pole vault and hurdles in track. But the coach gained even more of an appreciation when Hayter played pick-up ball with the Raiders last week. & I knew he was good,& said . & I didn& t know he was that good.& — — — Nunnemaker Hayter confirmed SOU is his top choice. He& s comfortable with the coaches and players and is intrigued about playing with so many friends from southern Oregon. (The Raiders also have former Grants Pass player Matt Cowell and & s son, Josh, who played at Ashland.) Recruiting interest in Hayter escalated after the state tournament. He& ll visit NCAA Division II University of Alaska Anchorage late next week and expects to make his decision upon returning. In the meantime, he& s visiting community colleges in the Albany and Portland areas this weekend to showcase his skills. playing junior-college ball, he could transfer to a four-year program without restriction. His dream has been to play at the highest level, NCAA Division I. & I don& t want to rush into anything,& said Hayter, who also received late interest from Western Oregon. feels good about SOU& s chances, but, he said, & in recruiting, until you have them, you don& t have them.& Two other players, both from College of the Siskiyous, have signed with the Raiders: 6-4, 250-pound post Chris Rodriguez; and 6-0 off-guard Daveoncq Fleming. hopes to sign three more players, including two point guards. The Raiders, ranked No. — in the nation for part of last season, went 23-9 and lost in the first round of the national tournament. Gone from that team are five seniors, including Shea Washington, the school& s all-time leading scorer, and fellow post Jeff Williams, a strong rebounder. acknowledged that Washington is incomparable, but he said SOU went a long way toward filling the post holes with Thompson and Nunnemaker. & I didn& t think we& d ever get two high school post kids in the same class as good as the two we have coming in,& said . & That& s just not going to happen in our situation.& The 6-7 Thompson was the state& s second-leading scorer at 25.2 points per game. He began high school as a point guard, but a growth surge landed him in the paint. & We think he& s as skilled a big man as you& ll find,& said , noting Thompson is comfortable with his back to the basket as well as facing it or taking the ball outside. & I& ve seen him take a rebound, go the length of the floor and make the right play. We think he has a chance to be a special player at our level.& Thompson, who was shunned in all-state voting & he didn& t receive so much as honorable mention & developed strong ties to the SOU coaches and & really felt wanted.& When he saw the Raiders play and realized how strong they were, & that made me want to go even more.& Nunnemaker, 6-7, averaged 15.5 points per game for Grants Pass and is expected to provide a strong post presence. & I can& t fill Shea& s shoes,& said Nunnemaker, & but I can sure try.& labeled him & much more of a post guy. & The good thing about Jason is he& s a very good post defender.& The idea of joining Thompson and possibly Hayter, with whom Nunnemaker was a teammate for years before Hayter transferred to Hidden Valley, is particularly appealing. & We know how each other works,& said Nunnemaker, who has played on all-star teams with Thompson. & As far as college, you usually don& t have players coming in who have played together. It should be easy to come together.&