Pettaway Signs Three to Letters of Intent :: Cantey, Hamilton, and Lee on their way to "The Hill"

April 17, 2008

Alabama A&M head men's basketball coach Vann Pettaway announced that three future Bulldogs have sign national letters of intent to play for the Bulldogs beginning in the 2008-09 season. All three players are from west central Alabama including Casey Cantey from Demopolis High School and Royce Hamilton and Marcus Lee from Sunshine High School.

The following story details the three Alabama A&M signees, courtesy the Demopolis Times.

by Jeremy D. Smith - Demopolis Times

DEMOPOLIS --The Alabama A&M Bulldogs will get a boost next season as three local products, Demopolis High's Casey Cantey and Sunshine High's Royce Hamilton and Marcus Lee, signed letters of intent to join the program for the upcoming season.

"If we click together, I think the people that coach brought in, me, Royce and Marcus, can win the SWAC championship," Cantey said of the Bulldog-bound crew. "That's my goal, the SWAC championship. But I'm just enjoying the ride right now."

As a senior, Cantey averaged 28 points, eight rebounds and three block per game for the Demopolis Tigers.

"I've seen him progress every year," DHS coach Jesse Bell said. "This year he led our team in every category."

At the NCAA Division I level, the 6-foot-6-inch Cantey will shift from the post where he played his high school career to the small forward position. Bell believes the transition will be an easy one as Cantey flashed signs of his shooting range when called upon as a Tiger.

However, Cantey understands the position shift will require work on his part and is prepared for the challenge.

"I'm going to have to get more consistent on my outside jump shot," Cantey said. "I'm going to eat and sleep in that weight room and the gym."

For Cantey's mother, Evern Holley, the day is the realization of more than a decade of work on her son's part.

"Watching him unfold has been a blessing," she said. "He's very talented, gifted and intelligent. We're excited for him and we thank God."

Cantey's collegiate goals will be aided by two of the Sunshine Tigers' top players. Hamilton averaged 16 points and eight rebounds a game for the 1A Tigers this season while Lee flirted with a triple-double almost nightly, realizing the feat 10 times on the season. For the year, he averaged 10 points, 12 assists and six rebounds for Sunshine.

"We've had a winning program, so they're accustomed to winning," Sunshine coach Walter Jones Sr. said. "I feel like if they can play for me, it's going to be a smooth transition for them because I ask a lot."

The 6-foot-5-inch Hamilton will also likely see a position shift from the post to the wing. It is a transition Hamilton and his teammate, Lee, are confident will come naturally.

"He can step out on the wing," Lee said of the move.

While the level of competition will be a decided upgrade, Lee will step into familiar territory as a pure point guard. Hamilton believes his longtime teammate and friend will offer a great deal to a newly energized A&M roster.

"He'll bring the elusiveness and passing. He'll make folks around him better. He's going to be a leader," Hamilton said of the young man he calls his best friend.

The friendship the two share served to make the decision easier for both.

"We've been together since the eighth grade," Lee said.

As it was for Holley, Wednesday was a milestone day for the Lee and Hamilton's households.

"We're really proud of him because he's worked hard academically and athletically. We hope it doesn't end here," Hamilton's mother Scottie Sneed said.

"It's a blessing. I just thank God to have a son like him," a nearly overwhelmed Doria Lee said of her son Marcus.

While the trio will work to improve the state of Bulldog basketball, each is intent on placing emphasis in the classroom. Marcus and Cantey plan to major in accounting while Hamilton is leaning toward psychology.