Men's Basketball: WVU Adds Transfer
August 22, 2005 03:46 PM | General
August 22, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Jamie Smalligan, a 7-foot center who played two seasons at Butler, has enrolled at West Virginia University and will play basketball for the Mountaineers in 2006-07, WVU Coach John Beilein announced today.
An East Grand Rapids, Mich., native, Smalligan will have to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
"Jamie possesses a lot of the skills that we look for in our inside guys," says Beilein. "He has a nice outside shooting touch and will work hard to develop a consistent inside game. With a year of development, we believe he has a chance to be an outstanding player for us."
At Butler, Smalligan made 30 career starts of the 58 games the Bulldogs had played the past two seasons. As a sophomore, he started 12 contests, averaging 5.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per contest. Smalligan shot 46.0 percent from the floor, 39.6 percent from three-point range and 71.9 percent from the free throw line. He had a season-high 20 points against Richmond at the Fiesta Bowl Classic on his way to all-tournament honors.
As a freshman, Smalligan played in all 30 Butler games, including 18 as a starter. He led Butler's freshmen in minutes played and finished fourth on the team in three-point field goals (24). Smalligan had a career-high 21 points against Youngstown State in the Horizon League tournament.
Smalligan was an honorable mention all-state center at East Grand Rapids High School. As a senior, he averaged 20.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots while earning first team all-conference and all-area honors. His career best was 37 points against Zeeland.
The Mountaineers begin practice for the 2005-06 season on October 15.
