Head coach Kyle Gerdeman is bringing in his third recruiting class at Lindenwood ahead of the 2021-22 season. 

A typical basketball recruiting class usually consists of around three to four players. The Lions, however, signed seven making this a larger recruiting class than usual.

“I’m really pleased with the recruiting class we were able to put together,” Gerdeman said.  “We recruited a good mix of freshman and transfers that helps us even out our classes. It puts us in the best position to continue to build our program moving into year three.”

The veteran coach also got a chance to add local talent to his roster for the upcoming season. Gerdeman elaborated on adding guys from the St. Louis and St. Charles area.

“Also a bit positive in adding a couple more guys from the area, recruiting St. Louis, St. Charles, and really the entire state will always be very important to us,” Gerdeman said. “I think the coaching staff really did a good job identifying the guys we needed, and improving our roster.”

The coaching staff was able to come across Keyyaun Batchman and Karrington Davis, who also happen to be St. Louis natives. 

Batchmann pledged his commitment to Lindenwood back in early Feb. from Mineral Area Community College in Park Hills, Missouri. 

“I chose Lindenwood because of the culture,” Batchman said. “The guys are welcoming and treated me like they’ve known me for several seasons already. The coaches were very up front and honest. I love that.” 

Batchman was a first team All-Region player for the No. 5 ranked team in the country and is known for his playmaking ability.

Davis grew up living 15 minutes away from Lindenwood. He started his collegiate career at the University of Nebraska before transferring to Southern Illinois University. A year later, Davis transferred to Butler Community College where he was able to show off his sharpshooting ability to a tune of 41% from beyond the arc. 

On May 27, it became official that Davis would be a Lion.

 “It ran through my head helping to get the program to that level again especially being from here,” Davis said.

Both Batchman and Davis will enter the year as sophomores with three seasons of eligibility. 

Early in the spring, the Lions targeted super senior Jacoby Ross. Ross is a graduate transfer that spent four seasons at the Division I level at Alcorn State and Alabama State. He has already eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his career. 

The staff also landed former Division I player Eddie Creal from St. Bonaventure. He will have two years to play for the Lions.

The Lions added six new freshmen as well. One of them is Trayton Trice from Romeoville, Illinois. He was the first commit for the Lions’ 2021 class. 

“He [Trice] is someone who can play multiple positions while bringing a physical presence to the court,” Gerdeman said.

Trice is another one of those guys that can dominate the boards, and take a chance to learn behind guys like Devion Harris and Brandon Suggs. 

Another big get for the team was Sharrod Traylor from Youngstown, Ohio. He is a player that is known for his shooting ability, especially from beyond the arc. Traylor can score anywhere on the court, as he had shown at practice this summer during the team’s conditioning period.