EDINBURG – University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Men's Basketball Head Coach Lew Hill announced on Thursday the signings of 6-9, 210-pound forward Gage Loy and 6-2, 190-pound guard Emeka "Mike" Nwabuzor to National Letters of Intent for the 2016-17 academic year.
 
"We are very excited about these two young men," Hill said. "Gage is an athletic forward and Mike's an athletic combo guard. Both of these guys bring energy. They have great motors."
 
Loy comes to the program from Garden City Community College, where he averaged 4.8 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting .441 from the field in 32 games (seven starts) as a sophomore. As a freshman, Loy averaged 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 31 games (16 starts).
 
Originally from Wichita, Kan., Loy attended North High School, where he averaged 9.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while shooting .445 from the field as a senior.
 
"Gage is very long and athletic," Hill said. "He's multi-dimensional and can play the four and the five. He's a good offensive rebounder and defender. He really runs the floor and is very active. He's great at getting 50/50 balls and getting to loose balls and deflections."
 
Nwabuzor joins the program from from Central Arizona Community College, where he earned Second Team All-Conference accolades after averaging 13.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game as a sophomore. As a freshman, Nwabuzor averaged 7.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
 
Originally from Bellflower, Calif., Nwabuzor attended Mayfair High School, where he earned All-League and Academic All-League awards.
 
"Mike is a kid that does a little bit of everything," Hill said. "He's an athletic kid. He rebounds. He defends. He's great at making players better by distributing the ball as well."
 
Loy and Nwabuzor join 6-8, 210-pound forward Adrean "A.J." Johnson, 6-6, 170-pound guard Xavier McDaniel Jr., and 6-7, 185-pound forward Lesley Varner Jr. as part of the 2016-17 recruiting class.
 
Season tickets for the 2016-17 season are on sale now and can be purchased online at UTRGVTickets.com, or by contacting UTRGV Assistant Athletic Director for Ticket Operations & Sales David Riggs at (956) 665-3747 or david.riggs@utrgv.edu.

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