MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama head men's basketball coach Richie Riley announced Tuesday that a pair of individuals have signed grants-in-aid and will join the program in the fall.
Jay Jay Chandler will be coming from Texas A&M while Greg Parham arrives at South after beginning his collegiate career at VMI.
Chandler — a 6-foot-4 guard from Katy, Texas — averaged 8.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last season while also recording 17 assists and 11 steals. He scored in double figures in eight of his 17 appearances, posting a season-best 21 points against LSU and then following up with 14 points in a victory at Kansas State. Chandler also contributed 12 points in a one-point win at Mississippi State while scoring 11 against Vanderbilt at the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
He recorded 6.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per contest and added 31 assists and 22 steals in 29 games as a junior to help the Aggies post a 16-14 record, while the previous season Chandler posted 8.3 points and 3.2 boards per outing, 41 assists and 39 steals. As a freshman he averaged 3.7 points and 1.2 rebounds per game to go along with 24 assists and 10 steals, playing in 33 games as Texas A&M went 22-13 after advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Chandler was considered a four-star prospect coming out of Cinco Ranch High School, where he earned all-state honors his last two years and averaged 25.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.8 steals as a senior. His efforts helped lead the Cougars to an overall record of 27-6, the district title and a berth in the quarterfinals of the regional tournament his final season at the prep level.
"Jay Jay impacts the game on many levels. He's a proven scorer from the SEC, and also a proven defender," Riley said. "He is an extremely competitive player, I'm excited about that. The addition of Jay Jay elevates our program to another level. He's an incredible person who I can't wait to coach."
Parham scored over 1,000 points at VMI, which included leading the team with an average of 18.4 per contest, as well as with 101 assists and 27 steals, while shooting 48.4 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent from three-point range to be named first-team all-Southern Conference by the media and second-team all-league by SoCon head coaches in 2020-21. He posted 10-plus points in 22 of the Keydets' 25 games, surpassing 20 points on 12 occasions including accomplishing the feat in seven straight league contests in January.
The previous year Parham posted 9.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per outing and was second on the squad after handing out 90 assists, highlighted by a 36-point performance — in which he was 13-of-14 from the floor, including making all six attempts from beyond the arc — in a road win over The Citadel. He averaged 7.1 points and 2.3 rebounds boards per game, and was credited with 81 assists and 29 steals his sophomore season, while as a freshman Parham recorded 3.1 points and 1.1 rebounds per contest, 38 assists and 14 steals.
A 6-foot-4 guard from Richmond, Va., he was chosen the state player of the year by the Virginia High School League Coaches Association in 2015-16 after leading Monacan High to the 4A tournament championship. Parham was twice named first-team all-state and was the Richmond Times-Dispatch's region player of the year as a senior after finishing his prep career ranked third on the VHSL's all-time assists list.
"Greg is a big point guard with incredible feel and vision," said Riley. "He's a guy you trust having the ball in his hands. He's proven his ability to be an elite scorer and is highly efficient. Greg is a guy who Jag Nation will love on the court but even more the type of person he is every day."
The Jaguars' 2021-22 recruiting class now includes eight members with the duo joining fellow transfers Tyrell Jones (Chicago, Ill., Auburn), Charles Manning Jr. (Riverhead, N.Y.) and Diante Smith (Fort Walton Beach, Fla., TCU) — who are all currently enrolled at South — along with junior-college transfer Marshall Kearing (Perth, Australia, State College of Florida) and current high school seniors Alex Anderson (Millington, Tenn.) and Tyler Shirley (Mableton, Ga.).
South posted a 17-11 overall record last year, the third time in as many seasons the program has finished .500 or better under the direction of Riley.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to the South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give
—USA—
