Cal Poly basketball lands two recruits for the 2018-19 season

The Cal Poly men’s basketball team added two recruits Thursday, a 6-foot-7 forward from Pocatello, Idaho and a guard from Stockton, to cap the week’s early signing period.

Forward Daxton Carr is a multiple-year letter winner in both football and basketball at Highland High School who competed for the Utah-based AAU program Exum Elite. He led Highland to the 2016 5A state championship.

“Daxton has great versatility. He shoots the three-pointer and handles the ball well for someone who’s 6-7,” ninth-year Cal Poly head coach Joe Callero said in a news release. “We see him having the versatility to play at the four position as he continues to develop strength.”

Guard Junior Ballard, who transferred to Modesto Christian for the upcoming senior season, averaged 20.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game during three combined varsity seasons at nearby Lathrop High. He averaged a career-best 24.9 points per game as a sophomore during the 2015-16 season and 21.9 points per game last year. A two-time All-Valley Oak League first team selection at Lathrop, Ballard owns the league’s single-game scoring record with a 51-point performance during his sophomore year. His brother, Jayson Obazuaye, played at Colorado (2002-06).

“Junior is a tough, old-school guard. His shooting ability and mid-range game are good and he gets to the rim and draws fouls,” Callero said. “He has a competitive nature. We love the fact that he brings a toughness to the game like (former Cal Poly guard) Reese Morgan. If there’s a loose ball or a charge to be taken, Junior Ballard is guy who will do what it takes to win.”

Cal Poly opens the upcoming season at Stanford at 4 p.m. Friday and California at 1 p.m. Sunday. Both games will be televised nationally on Pac-12 Networks.

This story was originally published November 9, 2017 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Cal Poly basketball lands two recruits for the 2018-19 season."