By Jim Henry
jhenry@joplinglobe.com
Talent — not family connections — was the major factor as Missouri Southern signed Tyler Ressel to a basketball national letter-of-intent.
Ressel, 6-foot-1, 160-pound guard from St. Francis Borgia High School in Washington, Mo., is the nephew of Lions assistant coach Ronnie Ressel.
“The fact he’s Ronnie’s nephew had nothing to do in the recruiting process. It did get us an ‘in’ though,” Lions head coach Robert Corn said with a laugh.
Ressel is a three-year starter for the Knights, who finished 28-3 last season and defeated Kearney 59-41 in the Class 4 state championship game.
Last season he averaged 10.9 points, 2.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals. He shot 43 percent from the field, 85 percent from the foul line and 37 percent from 3-point range, hitting 54 treys. He’s been second team all-district the last two years and was second team all-state last season.
“He’s someone we’ve watched a lot,” Corn said. “Obviously he’s been around our program a while and knows about our program. He will be an excellent addition to what we’re trying to do here.
“We are excited to add Tyler to our basketball program. He comes from an outstanding high school program, and he is accustomed to winning. We look for guards who can defend, shoot and make sound decisions, and we feel Tyler fits the bill.”
