“Obviously, Casey fills a big void for us left by the
graduation of Alex Ruoff,” says Huggins. “With the addition of Casey
and Dalton Pepper, we believe we will be able to consistently score from
the perimeter.”
Mitchell, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound guard, spent the last two years
at Chipola College in Marianna, Fla., playing for Coach Greg Heiar. This
past season, he averaged 20 points per game for Chipola and was the
Panhandle Conference Player of the Year.
Mitchell shot 45 percent from the field as a sophomore,
including 34 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent from the free
throw line. He led Chipola to a 34-2 record and a third-place finish in
the national tournament. The Indians won a school-record 32 straight
games and completed the first perfect 12-0 Panhandle Conference season
in school history.
A native of Savannah, Ga., Mitchell scored 38 points in
Chipola’s 78-73 NJCAA tournament semifinal loss to Salt Lake.
Chipola posted a record of 69-4 over the two years that Mitchell played.
On Jan. 24, he broke a junior college record that stood for 40 years
when he connected on 25 straight free throws in an overtime win over
Tallahassee. Mitchell averaged 10 points per game for Chipola as a
freshman.
“Casey’s game has really developed under Coach Heiar to the
point that he is able to score in a multitude of ways,” adds Huggins.
“We think he can be as versatile a scorer as anyone in the
program.”
In high school, Mitchell averaged 26 points, eight rebounds,
five assists, three steals and two blocks per game at Savannah High,
where he earned Class AAAAA All-State honors from the Georgia Sports
Writers Association. He was a two-time WTOC Player of the Year, Georgia
Athletic Coaches Association Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player
of the GACA All-Star game. Mitchell led his team to three regional
championships and a Final Four appearance.
The rising junior will have three years to complete two seasons
of eligibility.
Mitchell joins Dalton Pepper (Levittown, Pa.), Deniz Kilicli
(Istanbul, Turkey) and Dan Jennings (Staten Island, N.Y.) as signees
for the 2009-10 season.