May 16, 2006

Columbia, Mo. - University of Missouri Men's Basketball Coach Mike Anderson announced that three student-athletes have signed scholarship agreements to play for the University of Missouri, as Jonathan "J.T." Tiller (Marietta, Ga./Wheeler HS), DeMarre Carroll (Birmingham, Ala. / John Carroll HS / Vanderbilt) and Darryl Butterfield (Miami, Fla./ Carol City Senior High School / Mineral Area College) have inked to play for the Tigers.

"I'm excited about this group," Head Coach Mike Anderson said. "Getting a late start in the recruiting process, we were still able to identify some very good players that we feel fit Missouri Basketball. One common element with these young men is that they are winners. They are instinctive basketball players that fit well with the players already in our program."

A 6-foot-3, 190-pounder from Marietta's Joseph Wheeler High School, Tiller finished his senior season ranked among the nation's elite performers (No. 136 nationally by Rivals.com) en route to earning all-state, all-region, all-county and all-conference accolades.

J.T. Tiller is one of the nation's top 150 high school players

A Second Team All-State selection and Cobb County Player of the Year by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Tiller was the do-it-all stalwart of Wheeler's nationally-ranked unit. Tabbed the nation's 37th best backcourt performer by Rivals.com, Tiller averaged 14.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.8 steals for head coach Doug Lipscomb's club, which finished the 2006 season with a 29-3 overall mark and a No. 23 national ranking in the final USA Today Super 25 high school poll.

"We are excited to have J.T. join our program at Missouri," Anderson said. "He's a talented and gifted young man on and off the floor and really represents the term student-athlete. Basketball-wise, he's one of the top guards in the state of Georgia. He's a tremendous defender and distributor of the basketball and plays the game with a great deal of passion from baseline-to-baseline. He's an instinctive player and a winner."

Playing on nationally-ranked teams is nothing new for Tiller. In 2005, the versatile guard averaged better than 10 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as a junior for Wheeler's 31-1 unit that finished with a Georgia Class AAAAA State Championship and a Top 20 national ranking by USA Today.

Even without the Top-150 national ranking, the state championship ring and all-state accolades, Tiller would remain a hot commodity amongst college recruiters. Tiller boasted an incredible 3.9 grade-point average during his high school tenure and is a standout track and field athlete, ranking third in the state of Georgia with a triple jump of 47-02.25.

Mizzou's second signee is the Mineral Area College standout Butterfield. A 6-foot-7, 225-pound power forward from Miami's Carol City Senior High School, Butterfield averaged 8.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists for former Missouri Tiger standout Corey Tate's Cardinals and excelled in a program that played an up-tempo brand of basketball similar to the system being installed by Anderson at Mizzou.

"Darryl (Butterfield) plays the game with a great deal of hunger," Anderson said. "He's a tough, physical young man that wants to get better and wants to win. He's a blue-collar style of player that does what it takes to help his team win more games. He's athletic and skilled on the offensive end. Darryl fits well with our style of play."

An All-Region XVI honoree after averaging 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds in postseason play, Butterfield led MAC (Mineral Area College) to a 28-5 overall record in 2005-06, which concluded with a No. 13 National Junior College Athletics Association national ranking and Region XVI and Midwest Community College Athletic Conference championships.

Darryl Butterfield will add athleticism and toughness to the Mizzou frontline

Butterfield began his junior college career at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Mo. in 2004-05. He averaged 6.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game for the 17-12 Roadrunners as a rookie, but transferred to MAC after the retirement of SFCC Head Coach Billy Barton.

The third signee, Carroll, will assume one of Mizzou's available scholarships, but will sit out the 2006-07 season per NCAA transfer guidelines after transferring to MU from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. He will have two years of eligibility remaining and will be classified as a junior beginning with the 2007-08 campaign.

A native of Birmingham, Ala., the 6-foot-7, 215-pound Carroll (first name pronounced Duh-Marr-EE) will add size and athleticism to the Tiger frontline. A two-year standout at Vandy (from 2004-06), Carroll averaged 10.9 points and 6.4 rebounds in 29 games as a sophomore and made 15 starts overall with 11 coming in Southeastern Conference competition. Despite those impressive overall season numbers, Carroll actually saw his statistical averages increase in SEC play. A former First Team All-State selection at John Carroll High School in Birmingham, Carroll led the club with 7.4 rebounds in SEC competition and ranked second on the squad with 12.1 points. Also the team-leader with 37 steals (1.28 spg.), Carroll tied for the team lead with four double-doubles and ranked second in overall field goal percentage at 51.0 percent (131-of-257).

"DeMarre (Carroll) is a proven player in the Southeastern Conference and was one of the more talented performers at Vanderbilt," Anderson said. "He's a young man of quality and character and we are excited to have him join our program at Missouri. He's a young man that obviously wants to be here. He will have to sit out a season before he is available, but that year should enhance his overall game."

One of the Vanderbilt's most consistent performers, Carroll led VU in rebounding 10 times last season and topped double-digits on the glass in both games vs. Kentucky (11, 12) and Tennessee (12, 11). He also paced the team in scoring five times and reached double figures in points in 11-of-16 SEC games, including a career-best effort of 22 points and 12 boards in the Feb. 11 win against Kentucky and an 18-point, nine-rebound effort at NCAA Champion Florida on Jan. 28. In fact, Carroll was the driving figure in Vanderbilt's first season sweep of UK since 1973-74, as he averaged 18.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in the two wins over the Wildcats.

"DeMarre is a versatile player," Anderson continued. "He's very athletic and has a great feel for the game. He understands how to play and has a great nose for the ball. We feel like he can excel in our system."

In addition to being one of Vandy's go-to performers, Carroll was among the top underclassmen in the SEC. Carroll's 7.4 rebounds in SEC action ranked ninth in the league, while his 12.1 points ranked 18th. His 3.0 offensive rebounds per game in league play ranked fourth.

DeMarre Carroll was one of the SEC's top underclassmen in 2006

As a freshman (2004-05), Carroll played in all 34 games for the Commodores and averaged 4.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in 15.6 minutes of action. His 3.8 rebounds were third on the team and tops among rookies, while his 1.6 offensive boards per game ranked second. Carroll's best performance came in the win over South Carolina, where he tied a career high with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting and grabbed six boards in 15 minutes of playing time. Carroll's other 12-point night came against Kentucky.

Prior to attending Vanderbilt, Carroll was a standout at John Carroll Catholic High School in Birmingham, Ala., where he teamed with Alabama point guard Ronald Steele to lead the Cavaliers to back-to-back Alabama Class 6A state titles. Carroll earned First Team All-State, All-Area, All-Region, All-District and All-Metro recognition as a junior and senior and helped JCCHS to a combined 67-3 mark his final two seasons, culminating in those consecutive state crowns. Carroll averaged 17.8 points and 9.1 rebounds as a junior for John Carroll's undefeated 36-0 state championships squad, before recording norms of 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds as a senior en route to the team's 31-3 championship season. He capped his prep career by scoring a game-high 27 points in the annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game and was named MVP of the 2004 Alabama Class 6A State Tournament.

## GO MIZZOU ##