Izaiah Brockington Highlights (VIDEO)

Zach Cooks Highlight (VIDEO)

Shawndale Jones Highlihts (VIDEO)

David Kachelries Highlights (VIDEO)



NEWARK, NJ -- The NJIT men's basketball team has announced the early signings of four high school seniors for its Class of 2021: Izaiah Brockington (Philadelphia, Pa.), Zach Cooks (Lawrenceville, Ga.), Shawndale Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and David Kachelries (Emmaus, Pa.). 

"We are very excited about our incoming class. All four of these guys have great academic and athletic backgrounds," said NJIT Head Coach Brian Kennedy. "Izaiah, Zach, Shawndale, and David have all competed at high levels both on their high school and AAU teams.Each player brings a unique and added dimension to our squad and with this year's current freshman class."

Kennedy added: "We are building the foundation of our program as we move forward in the ASUN Conference and we believe NJIT fans will enjoy their exciting and athletic style of play."

Izaiah Brockington is a 6-4 guard from Philadelphia and a two-time All-Catholic League member while playing for Archbishop Ryan. As a junior, he was a first-team selection after averaging 14.2 ppg for the Raiders and leading Ryan to a 16-9 record -- which was just one win shy of a berth of a state playoff berth and a six-win increase from the year before. Brockington, a member of the honors program at Ryan, is also a two-time Northeast Times Catholic League Player of the Year. He also competes in AAU basketball with K-Low Elite.

Zach Cooks is a 5-9 point guard known for both excellent ball-handling and play-making abilities. After spending his first two high school seasons at Norcross H.S., he transferred to Berkmar H.S. last season and helped guide the Patriots to a Sweet 16 in the state tournament. There, he averaged 11.4 points per game and 2.5 assists per game as a junior while earning a Scholar Athlete Award. Cooks also plays AAU basketball with the Southern Stampede and was named co-MVP of the 2016 Best of the South AAU Tournament after averaging 27 points per game. 

Shawndale Jones is a 6-3 combo guard who athleticism shines not only on the hardwood, but also on the gridiron as a WR/CB at The Kiski School in Saltsburg, Pa. Prior, Jones played two seasons at North Hills H.S. (Pittsburgh) and averaged 20 points per game as a sophomore.In his first year at The Kiski School he was the 2015 Peddie School Invitational Tournament (PSIT) Most Valuable Player. He also competes as an AAU member of TTG (Pittsburgh) and was the co-MVP of the 2016 BIG SHOTS MYRTLE BEACH tournament, where he led the entire league in scoring at 25 points per game. In its recap of all ASUN early signings, Hoopseen.com commented that Jones "could be the steal of the class." 

David Kachelries is a 6-1 point guard and a both a 1st-Team All-League and 3rd-Team All-State selection while playing at Emmaus H.S. -- where he led the Green Hornets to a third-place finish in the District 11 tournament and advance to the second round of the PIAA 4A state tournament last season. As a junior, he averaged 20.8 points per game while also registering 5.3 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game. A stand-out shooter a 1,000-point career scorer, Kachelries drained 54 three-pointers last season while posting a 60 field-goal percentage. In the PIAA opener last season, he posted a 37-point performance against Martin Luther King (Philadelphia) H.S. He also competes in AAU with Sports U/Team Izod, one of the top basketball powers in New Jersey.