April 16, 2008

Cedar Falls, Iowa - The University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team has signed two players to national letters of intent, UNI head coach Ben Jacobson announced today.  Inking to play with the Panthers beginning in the 2008-09 campaign are 6-0 guard Ali Farokhmanesh (Iowa City, Iowa/Kirkwood CC) and 6-0 guard Anthony James (St. Louis, Mo./Normandy HS).
 
"Ali and Anthony are quality additions to our 2008 recruiting class," Jacobson said.  "We feel we've addressed our needs with the five student-athletes that we've signed this year.  My assistants, Kyle Green, P.J. Hogan and Chris Foster, have done a great job putting this group together.  They are quality young men who will represent our university very well both on and off the court."

Farokhmanesh (pronounced Fuh-ROAK-mah-nesh) was a first-team NJCAA Division II All-American this past season at Kirkwood Community College.  He helped lead the Eagles to a 32-4 record and a third-place finish at the national tournament. Farokhmanesh averaged 16.5 points, 4.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game as a sophomore, while shooting nearly 50 percent from three-point range.  He was named Most Valuable Player of NJCAA Region 11 and the Region 11 tournament.  He prepped at Iowa City West High School and played his freshman year at Indian Hills Community College.

"Ali is a very experienced guard who has a great feel for the game," Jacobson said.  "He's won everywhere he's been, in large part because he's a terrific leader and teammate.  He really wanted to be a Panther and we're very fortunate he's joining our program."
 
James averaged 20.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game as a senior at St. Louis Normandy High School, while shooting 56 percent from three-point range.  He was a second-team all-state selection and a third-team all-St. Louis metro choice, and was the Suburban East Conference Player of the Year.  He ranks second on Normandy's all-time scoring list with 1,407 points, and helped guide the Vikings to a 20-6 record this past season.
 
"Anthony has the potential to be a terrific scorer," Jacobson said.  "He is a very good athlete and can really shoot the basketball.  He has the ability to create offense for himself and his teammates.  He adds a new dimension to our team.  We're thrilled he's joining us at UNI."
 
Farokhmanesh and James join November signees John Moran (Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs HS), Jake Koch (Ashwaubenon, Wis./Ashwaubenon HS) and Austin Pehl (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls HS) in UNI's five-man recruiting class for the 2008-09 season.