Huskies Finalize Incoming Class for 2024-25 – NIU Athletics

DEKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University men’s basketball head coach Rashon Burno announced the addition of nine players for the 2024-25 season on Tuesday (June 4). The Huskies have signed eight players this spring: TJ Copeland Jr. (Oradell, N.J./Legacy Early College [S.C.]), James Dent Jr. (Springfield, Ill./ Western Illinois), Dominic Gooden (Cleveland, Ohio/Hillsborough CC), Jordan Gorecki (Toronto, Ontario/Northern Oklahoma College), Quentin Jones (Hazel Crest, Ill./Cal Poly), Joe Munden Jr. (Harlem, N.Y./Fairleigh Dickinson), Kailon Nicholls (Toronto, Ontario/Duquesne) and Tsvet Sotirov (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Saint Louis), along with Jayden Mott (Midwest City, Okla./ Edmond Santa Fe) who signed with NIU this past fall.

The nine-player class combined to score 66.7 points per game last season at the college level, including 180 made three-point field goals. NIU’s incoming group includes 172 games of NCAA Division I experience, including 92 starts and five NCAA Tournament games played. 

“We are really excited about our 2024 recruiting class,” said Burno. “We think that this group, combined with our returners will be our best team yet. If you look at the players we brought in, you not only see talent and high character student-athletes, but also experience and production. We were able to bring in multiple double-digit scorers from the transfer portal and that comes at a premium in recruiting these days. In addition to that, we have two guys coming in with NCAA Tournament experience. 

“While we continued to show our staff’s ability to recruit at a national and international level, we also kept our in-state ties strong, bringing in three quality kids from Illinois. Our junior college recruits bring electric scoring and physical presence, and I think our incoming freshman are going to be among the best in the MAC. Outside of the talent, I am most proud of the quality of the people we were able to recruit to join the NIU community. They will add value both on and off the court.”

Munden, a 6-foot-4 guard, comes to NIU following four seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson, where he appeared in 102 games, making 58 starts. Munden helped Fairleigh Dickinson reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2023, starting all three tournament games while averaging 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game that season. This past year, the Harlem, N.Y. native averaged 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest in 28 games. 

Copeland, a 6-foot-7 forward from Oradell, N.J., spent this past year at Legacy Early College in Greenville, S.C., after transferring from Bergen Catholic in New Jersey. This past season, Copeland averaged 18 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game at Legacy Early College and ranked in the top-25 in scoring in the Nike EYBL Scholastic League. 

Dent joins the Huskies following one season at Western Illinois. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 10.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game this past season for the Leathernecks. Dent began his collegiate career at Moberly Area Community College, where he spent one season before joining John A. Logan College in 2022-23, averaging 11.0 points per game, while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 41 percent from three, as the Volunteers won the NJCAA Division I National Championship. 

Gooden, a 6-foot-1 guard, averaged 26.1 points, 5.6 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore this past season at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Gooden helped the Hawks to an 18-win season and a bid to the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament. Gooden started 27 games during the 2023-24 season, shot 81.3 percent from the free-throw line and was named to the All-FCSAA/All-NJCAA Region 8 Team. 

Gorecki comes to NIU from Northern Oklahoma College where he has played for the past two seasons. The 6-foot-10 native of Markham, Ontario averaged 8.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for Northern Oklahoma this past season, making 29 starts for the Mavericks. Gorecki shot 66.2 percent from the field as a sophomore at Northern Oklahoma while also averaging 3.5 blocks per game. 

Jones is a 6-foot-5 guard who joins the Huskies following one year at Cal Poly, where he averaged 9.7 points per game, appearing in all 32 contest and making 31 starts. Jones shot 40.2 percent from three-point range for the Mustangs while also grabbing 4.3 rebounds per contest. Prior to his time at Cal Poly, Jones prepped at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, where he averaged 14.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in 2022-23, helping lead the program to a 26-8 overall record. 

Mott, a 6-foot-8 forward from Midwest City, Okla., comes to NIU from Edmond Santa Fe High School. Mott averaged 19 points, 10 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game at Carl Albert High School in 2021-22, helping the program to an Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) Class 5A state runner-up finish. 

Nicholls joins the Huskies following one season at Duquesne, where he helped the Dukes win the Atlantic 10 Tournament to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 6-foot-0 guard from Toronto, Ontario, saw action in nine games for the Dukes. Prior to Duquesne, Nicholls averaged 16.9 points, 5.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game while helping Hargrave Military Academy to a 44-2 record in 2022-23. 

Sotirov comes to NIU following one season at Saint Louis. A 6-foot-8 forward, Sotirov redshirted this past year with the Billikens. Sotirov, who is originally from Bulgaria but moved to Chicagoland at the age of eight, prepped at Rolling Meadows High School, where he was an all-conference and all-area selection as a senior in 2022-23. 

2024-25 NIU Men’s Basketball Incoming Class

TJ Copeland Jr., 6-7, 225, Freshman, Forward (Oradell, N.J./Legacy Early College [S.C.]) 

James Dent Jr., 6-5, 160, Senior, Guard (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast/Western Illinois) 

Dominic Gooden, 6-1, 180, Junior, Guard (Cleveland, Ohio/Hillsborough CC) 

Jordan Gorecki, 6-10, 260, Junior, Center (Markham, Ontario/St. Jude Academy/Northern Oklahoma College) 

Quentin Jones, 6-5, 170, Sophomore, Guard (Hazel Crest, Ill./Marian Catholic/Cal Poly) 

Jayden Mott, 6-8, Freshman, Forward (Midwest City, Okla./Carl Albert HS) 

Joe Munden Jr., 6-4, 199, Grad Student, Guard (Harlem, N.Y./Monsignor Scanlan/Fairleigh Dickinson) 

Kailon Nicholls, 6-0, 160, Sophomore, Guard (Toronto, Ontario/Hargrave Military Academy/Duquesne) 

Tsvet Sotirov, 6-8, 210, RS Freshman, Forward (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows/Saint Louis)