INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI Athletics Department and Head Basketball Coach Ron Hunter announced the signings of two Indianapolis products in the spring signing period, bringing his current recruiting class up to three. Both Robert Glenn (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) and Alex Young (Indianapolis, Ind./Northwest) recently returned their National Letters of Intent to join the Jaguars beginning in 2008-09.

Glenn, a 6-foot-7, 195-pound forward, played the past two seasons at Wabash Valley Junior College in Mt. Carmel, Ill. and will have two years of eligibility remaining. Meanwhile Young, the 2008 Indianapolis Star City Player of the Year, recently completed his senior season at nearby Northwest High School and will be a true freshman next season. The duo joins fellow Indianapolis standout Larry Stone (Indianapolis, Ind./Howe) in Hunter’s most recent recruiting class. 

"We’re really excited about these two guys joining the program," Hunter said. "We’ve been building our program around in-state and Indianapolis kids and this just continues to prove that. We want to continue to win with Indiana kids - that’s always been our goal. 

"Robert is a really athletic, exciting player. He’s a great finisher and can be a terrific defender. Plus, we’ve had a lot of success with Ben Davis kids like Don Carlisle and Brandon Cole and we think that Robert will continue that trend. He’s going to bring some immediate depth to our front line and give us another weapon to score the basketball."

Glenn was named NJCAA Honorable Mention All-America this past season after averaging 19.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and shooting better than 68 percent from the floor. He helped Wabash Valley to a 19-10 record this past season.

His freshman year, he averaged 11.9 points and 4.6 rebounds a night while shooting 60.2 percent from the floor. Following the season, Glenn was awarded WVC’s Most Improved Award as the Warriors finished 20-11 under first-year Head Coach Dan Sparks.

"I don’t think I’ve ever coached a kid quite like him. He’s freakishly athletic - he tries to dunk everything and can be a tremendous shot blocker."

At Ben Davis, Glenn averaged 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists a game his senior year and was selected to participate in the Indiana/Illinois Shootout. He picked IUPUI over interest from Southern Illinois, Austin Peay, Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky, among others. 

Young, a 6-foot-5, 185-pound left-handed slasher, was named All-State by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) in 2008 and was also received votes in the Associated Press listing. He and Stone were recently named to the prestigious Indiana All-Star Team, which will take on the Kentucky All-Stars in a two-game series in early June. This season, Young ranked third in the state of Indiana by grabbing 13.7 rebounds per game while ranking sixth with 4.2 blocked shots per game to accompany his 18.6 scoring average. He was also named the MVP of the Andrew Owens City-County All-Star Game at Arlington High School. 

As a senior, he shot 52.7 percent from the floor and 34.3 percent from three-point range. He scored a season-high 36 points versus Broad Ripple on Dec. 14 and posted a triple-double with 19 points, 16 rebounds and 10 blocks against Lawrence Central on Dec. 29. 

He helped Northwest to a 16-7 record this past season although the Space Pioneers were upset in the Beech Grove Sectional finale. He chose IUPUI over a group that included Kent State, IPFW and Ball State.

"Alex’s best basketball is ahead of him," Hunter said. "He’s got a smooth, effortless jumper and he’s also really, really athletic. He rebounds and defends much larger than his actual size and he always seems to be in the right place at the right time. He was kind of a late bloomer, similar to a Brandon Cole in that regard.

"We envision him having a lot of success on the wing in our system as both a slasher and shooter. But he’s a special, special talent - he’s going to have a big time career."

Academically, Young was an honor roll student every semester of his high school career and will receive an Academic Honors Diploma.

Young and Stone both participated in the Indiana Top 60 workout while Stone was named Third Team All-State by the AP following his senior year. Both earned mention on The Star’s All-City team in 2008 and both are products of the Indianapolis Public School system, as was reigning Summit League Player of the Year George Hill.

"I think both Alex and Larry saw the success that George has had here and want to follow in his footsteps," Hunter said. "They’re proud to live in Indianapolis and they’re proud of coming through IPS. They’re determined to continue that success at the Divsion I level."

Hunter’s squad is coming off a 26-7 campaign and finished as The Summit League’s runner-up in both the regular season and tournament in 2008. Led by Hill and guard Gary Patterson, the Jaguars will return three starters and nine letterwinners from last year’s squad.

Hill was named Honorable Mention All-America by the AP and Mid-Major All-America by CollegeInsider.com and CollegeHoops.net. In addition, Patterson was a Second Team All-Conference pick and hit 44.5 percent of his three-point attempts this past season.

IUPUI also returns a pair of 6-foot-7 juniors along the front line in Jon Avery and Billy Pettiford. Avery was IUPUI’s fourth leading scorer at 10.7 points per game while Pettiford ranked second on the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg), assists (92), steals (42) and had a team-high 21 blocked shots.