 McGinty Completes Recruiting Class with Four Transfers
June 28, 2010
ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis University head men's soccer coach Mike McGinty today announced the addition of four transfers to the Billikens' 2010 roster. The new Billiken student-athletes are midfielder Graham Basecke (Springfield, Mo./Indiana), goalkeepers Dillon Saffle (Sammamish, Wash./Central Florida) and Nick Shackelford (Orange, Calif./California), and defender Chad Vandegriffe (St. Louis, Mo./SMU). BASECKE Graham Basecke red-shirted at IU last season and joins the Billikens with four years of eligibility. The midfielder was a teammate of fellow Billiken Devon Newport on Glendale High School's 2008 Missouri Class 3 state runner-up team. A second-team All-State selection as a senior, he notched eight goals and 11 assists. Basecke played with Newport and Billiken teammate Ryan Moses for the Springfield Soccer Club, which claimed state championships in 2007 and 2008. "Graham is a two-way midfielder who benefited from a year of college experience at Indiana University," McGinty said. "Being from Missouri, he is familiar with SLU soccer's history and tradition. Also, he has played with a number of our players so his transition to our team should be seamless. He is definitely someone who we expect to compete for playing time right away."
SAFFLE and SHACKELFORD Dillon Saffle enters SLU will four years of eligibility, as he did not play last season at Central Florida. The 6-foot-2 goalkeeper earned an invite to the U-18 National Team camp in 2008. At Skyline High School, he was named team MVP as a freshman and All-Conference as a sophomore. Saffle played club soccer for Crossfire Premier out of Redmond, Wash. Nick Shackelford took a redshirt last season at Cal and also enters the SLU program with four years of eligibility. The 6-foot keeper played at Villa Park High School, where he was named freshman MVP. Shackelford played club ball for the Irvine Strikers and the Pateadores. Most recently, he was the starting keeper for the U-18 Pats club in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy League. He also played three seasons for the Cal South Olympic Developmental Program. "Dillon and Nick fill a need for us as we graduated our starting goalkeeper last year," McGinty said. "Both have benefited from their one year of collegiate experience, and that will aid them as they challenge for playing time among a total of four goalies on our roster." VANDEGRIFFE Chad Vandegriffe starred at Chaminade Prep in St. Louis before spending two seasons at SMU. In 2009, he appeared in all 16 games for the Mustangs in a defending role. As a freshman, Vandegriffe played in nine games. A first-team All-State selection as a senior, Vandegriffe played on Chaminade's 2006 state championship team, which also included fellow Billikens Mike Roach and Michael Robson. Vandegriffe came up through St. Louis Scott Gallagher, claiming three straight Missouri state championships beginning in 2005. "We are happy Chad is coming in as a junior because we don't have a very large junior class," McGinty said. "He played extensively at SMU and is a center back, which is a position we are looking to fill. Again, he knows several players on the team, which helps with his transition, and he knows the program. We are excited to get him back to St. Louis, and he will provide an immediate contribution at the center-back position." The four transfers join six freshmen to make up a 10-man recruiting class. 2010 Saint Louis University recruiting class
Graham Basecke, MF, RS-FR, Springfield, Mo. (Glendale HS/Indiana) |
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