Men's Recruiting: Peacocks' Transfers Should Help

Here's another in the series looking at players joining conference programs for the coming season.

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SAINT PETER'S MEN

- PATRICK JACKSON (6-6 forward, transfer from Kent State): The well-traveled Jackson attended two high schools in his last three scholastic seasons and, now, is on his third college. He began his college career with two seasons at Rutgers (averaging 2.4 points, 1.6 rebounds as a sophomore) and, then, transferred to Kent State (2.5 points, 2.8 rebounds per game last season). He is able to play immediately with the Peacocks since he graduated from Kent State and is taking graduate courses at Saint Peter's in a degree program not offered by Kent State.

- CHAZZ PATTERSON (6-2 guard, Trenton, N.J., Catholic H.S.): Patterson originally committed to Mount St. Mary's, but opted out there after the school fired its former coach, Robert Burke. Patterson comes from a strong program and is said to be fundamentally sound, although no high school statistics are available. He is said to be a tough, hard-nosed player who works hard on the defensive end and has a good outside shot.

- DESI WASHINGTON (6-1 guard, transfer from Delaware State): He redshirted at Saint Peter's last season and is eligible for the coming year as a sophomore. He averaged 13.1 points per game as Delaware State's second-leading scorer in the 2010-11 season, shooting 43 percent from the floor and 37 percent from beyond the three-point line. He is a more-than-capable scorer and could put up big numbers for the Peacocks.

- ELIAS DESPORT (6-6 forward, Stockholm, Sweden): Desport is a slender face-the-basket player capable of playing either forward position. He was on Sweden's under-18 national team in 2011 and played eight games in the European Championship tournament, averaging 2.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest. Originally expected to be a role player this year, but due to a lack of inside players on the roster he might get meaningful minutes.

- JAMAL FIELDS (6-1 guard, transfer from Fairfield): Fields played two seasons as a reserve guard, but was a member of the playing group for the Stags. He averaged 3.5 points and 17 minutes of playing time per game last season. He will be a redshirt this season with two years of eligibility beginning next season. A graduate of Cheshire Academy, he also attended Albany (N.Y.) Academy, where your Hoopscribe saw him play several times. He is a strong combo guard who plays hard and has a decent outside shot. He'll eventually be a contributor for the Peacocks.

- MARVIN DOMINIQUE (6-7 forward, transfer from Fordham): He played two seasons at Fordham, averaging 2.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 12.2 minutes per game last season. He is a redshirt for the coming season with two years of eligibility remaining starting next season. A strong inside player, he should be a nice addition, eventually, to the Peacocks' frontcourt.

ANALYSIS: Saint Peter's didn't lose much from last season, has a decent nucleus returning and gets some help from incoming players, particularly in Jackson, who is likely to be the team's starting power forward, and Washington, who will pick up a good portion of the team's scoring load. Patterson should also get into the playing group and Desport could help out in a reserve role at some point. After that, Dominique and Fields will be nice additions starting in the 2013-14 season. St. Peter's also had a commitment from Lawrence Fejokwu, a 6-9, 210-pound center from Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas, who opted to attend junior college instead. Fejokwu's de-commitment enabled the program to bring in Desport.