Mario Redmond is the latest men's basketball signing and has the DU coaching staff buzzing about next year's incoming class.  Burt Paddock is pleased to announce the addition of the 6'6, 210lb forward to the Panthers' lineup for the next four years after Redmond attended a Quakerdale Prep School after high school.

“Mario is a tremendous addition for our program, said DU head coach Burt Paddock.  He is very versatile at both ends of the floor and has good size, great length and is an explosive athlete.  As we continue to get better each year it is hard to find high school players that are good enough to step in and make a significant contribution.  However, Mario has all the tools to do just that.” 

Mario attended Crete-Monee High School in his hometown and actually signed to play with NCAA D1 Western Illinois but decided to attend Quakerdale instead to better his athletic and academic accolades. While a senior at Crete-Monee, Redmond averaged 13.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while being named to the All-Area and All-State squads.

Stan Huges, the coach at Quakerdale Prep had the following to say about Mario: “As a player, Mario is a freak athlete with various weapons on both ends of the floor. He plays at a high level from the moment he steps on the floor.”

“As a person, I've watched Mario grow from a boy to a young man in just under a year, added Hughes. He's very respectful, honest, and a joy to be around. At Quakerdale, Mario received the Leadership Award for our team. He is a leader on and off the court and will go above and beyond what is asked of him.”

Davenport University is coming off its best season in its short 8-year history as the Panthers posted a 29-6 overall record and advanced to the NAIA Elite 8 for the first time in school history.  DU has already added an NAIA transfer and two other outstanding players from the high school ranks as well as red-shirt freshman Luke Sorenson.

“Mario has been a part of two very successful programs at Crete-Monee HS in Illinois and lately at Quakerdale Prep under Coach Hughes, said Paddock.  Coach Hughes has done a wonderful job preparing him for life after prep school.  Mario's talent has always been there but the guidance and work put into him in the last year by Coach Hughes will be invaluable as we strive to win championships here at DU. Anytime you can get a former D1 signee who has his personality, leadership qualities and athletic abilities you have to be excited.  Although we will miss our departing seniors, we are very excited with our freshman class.”