The Pine Needle

UNC Pembroke head men's basketball coach Jason Tinsley
is pleased to announce the signings of two North Carolina prep stars to
National Letters of Intent to compete for the Braves next season.
Cortez Brown of David W. Butler High School in Charlotte, along with
local product John Walters of Bladenboro, will each continue their
respective basketball careers by sporting the black and gold in 2005-06.

A 6'1" guard, Gary "Cortez" Brown averaged 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds,
and 3.7 assists per game last season for Butler, the Southwestern 4A
regular season co-champion. For his efforts, he was an All-Conference
selection.

A three-time Most Valuable Player, he served as junior varsity and
varsity captain for four seasons and was the 2005 recipient of the
Distinguished Athlete Award presented by the United States Marine
Corps. Academically, Brown was presented with the Las Amigas, Inc.
Outstanding Student Award, as well as Butler's Bulldog Pride Award.

"I chose UNCP because of the overall atmosphere, the educational
opportunities, and the chance to be a part of the basketball program,"
said Brown.

Said Tinsley, "We are glad to sign Cortez. He put up solid numbers
playing in a very good league last season, and he gives us a guard that
can play both the point and shooting guard positions."

"He competes and works hard on the defensive end, which will give him a
chance to make an impact," he added.

John Walters, whose sister Heather was a four-year starter on the
hardwood for the Lady Braves, continues a family tradition by choosing
UNCP. The 6'1" guard averaged 12 points, 5.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds,
and 2.7 steals per game during a stellar senior campaign at West
Bladen. Known as a sharpshooter, he canned a team-high 49
three-pointers last season.

During his prep career, Walters was a three-time All-Conference
selection in the Tri-6, two-time team captain, and led his squad to two
conference championships. He was named Co-Player of the Year and Male
Athlete of the Year in 2005, while in the classroom, he was a member of
Beta Club, Spanish Club, Student Government, FFA, FCA, and Who's Who.
In addition to his impressive resume, Walters recently received the
Sprint Scholar Athlete Scholarship.

"UNCP is one of the finest state universities around," said Walters.
"I look forward to playing in the best basketball conference in the
country."

"John is a winner," said Tinsley. "That's all he has known during his
high school career. He is a hard-nosed, tough kid that does so many
things that don't show up in the box scores. He is not afraid to take
a charge or dive for a loose ball, and that's what I like about him the
most."

Added Tinsley, "Even though he is a good shooter, he does a good job of
running the team and getting others involved, as evident by his 5.7
assists per game."