PEORIA, Ill. -- Matt Salley, a 6-foot-7 forward from Charlotte, N.C. (North Mecklenburg H.S.), has signed a national letter of intent to attend Bradley University and play basketball for the Braves during the 2006-07 season. Salley currently attends Monroe College in the Bronx, N.Y. and will have two years of eligibility remaining at Bradley.
Salley averaged a team-best 13.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this past season, leading Monroe (33-5) to a school-record 33 victories, a fourth consecutive NJCAA Region XV championship and a second straight District III title. Salley was named first-team NJCAA All-Region XV and earned a spot on the region and national all-tournament teams. In addition to his scoring and rebounding, Salley averaged 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game.
“Matt's a skilled big guy who can pass it and handle it,” Bradley head coach Jim Les told the Peoria Journal Star after receiving Salley's signed NLI Friday. “He's not as prolific of a 3-point shooter as Cellus (Marcellus Sommerville), but he has a good mid-range shot. He has a great knack for rebounding the ball.
“He also has a lot of intangibles,” Les added. “He's a guy who made a lot of sacrifices to help his team.”
Salley becomes the third member in Bradley's 2006-07 crop of newcomers, joining November signees Andrew Warren and Xavier Crawford.
The Braves graduate four seniors, including three of the top four scorers, from the 2005-06 team that produced a 22-11 overall record and upset #12 Kansas (77-73) and #16 Pittsburgh (72-66) to reach the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. In addition, the team's second-leading scorer and top rebounder, 7-foot sophomore center Patrick O'Bryant, has declared for the NBA Draft, but still could return for his junior season.
