Morningside’s men’s basketball recruiting class includes two transfers and 12 high school seniors.

Morningside College men’s basketball head coach Jim Sykes announced his 2017 recruiting class.

The Mustang recruits include two transfers and 12 high school seniors.

The recruits are:

Dylan Benson, a 6-0 guard from Sterling, Neb. Benson is a senior at Sterling High School, where he was the team’s leading scorer and second leading rebounder this past season with averages of 15.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game to earn honorable mention Class D-1 all-state recognition from the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal-Star. He made 137 of 325 field goal attempts for 42.2 percent, a team-high 46 3-point field goals in 131 attempts for 35.1 percent and 42 of 57 free throw attempts for 73.6 percent. Benson scored in double figures in 19 of the Jets’ 23 contests, including six performances of 20 points or more. He had season’s highs of 27 points against Southern and 10 rebounds against Diller-Odell.

Benson was a Lincoln Journal-Star honorable mention all-stater as a junior when he was Sterling’s top scorer and rebounder with averages of 14.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and had a team-high 41 steals for an average of 1.9 per game. He made a team-high 47 3-point field goals in 118 attempts for 39.8 percent and was the Jets’ best free throw shooter with 45 free throws in 62 attempts for 72.6 percent. Benson scored a career-high 29 points against Lewiston and grabbed 10 rebounds against Johnson-Brock.

Trey Brown, a 6-6 forward from Gretna, Neb. Brown is a senior at Gretna High School, where he earned second-team Class B all-state honors from the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal-Star this past season after he helped lead the Dragons to a 27-2 record and Nebraska’s Class B state championship. Brown led the Dragons with 21 blocked shots and an average of 9.2 rebounds per game and was their second leading scorer with an average of 14.1 points per contest. He made 157 of 262 field goal attempts for 59.9 percent to lead the team in field goal accuracy and converted 80 of 118 free throw attempts for 67.8 percent.

Brown received Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star honorable mention all-state recognition as a junior when he averaged 8.9 points and a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game for a Gretna team that captured Nebraska’s Class B state title with a 27-1 record. Brown topped Dragons with 17 blocked shots and made 95 of 162 field goal attempts for 58.6 percent to top the team in field goal accuracy.

Ben Hoskins, a 6-6 sophomore forward from Wayne, Neb., who will join the Mustangs with sophomore eligibility as a transfer from NCAA Division II Wayne State College. Hoskins averaged 1.5 points and 1.0 rebounds per game in 25 contests for the Wildcats this past season. He scored a season’s high 12 points against Minot State University and grabbed a season’s high four rebounds against Missouri Western State University.

Hoskins is a 2015 graduate of Wayne High School, where he earned honorable mention Class C-1 all-state honors from the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal-Star as a senior when he was the Blue Devils’ leading scorer and rebounder with averages of 17.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and topped the team with 36 blocked shots and 35 steals. He made 154 of 343 field goal attempts for 44.9 percent and 107 of 137 free throw attempts for 78.1 percent to lead the Blue Devils in shooting accuracy from the field and the foul line. Hoskins had 10 scoring performances of 20 points or more, including a career-high 34 points against Boone Central. He had a season’s high 13 rebounds against Crofton.

He was a second-team Class C-1 Omaha World-Herald all-stater and a Lincoln Journal-Star honorable mention all-stater as a junior when he set a school scoring record with 523 points. He averaged a career-high 17.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots per game to lead the Blue Devils in all three categories. Hoskins made 198 of 378 field goal attempts for 52.4 percent and 106 of 153 free throw attempts for 69.3 percent. He scored a season’s high 30 points against Boys Town and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds against Boone Central. Hoskins averaged 8.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and led the Blue Devils with an average of 1.6 blocked shots per game as a sophomore.

Zach Imig, a 6-2 guard from Gretna, Neb. Imig is a senior at Gretna High School, where he earned first-team Class B all-state honors from the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal-Star this past season after he helped lead the Dragons to a second consecutive Nebraska Class B state championship. He was Gretna’s leading scorer with an average of 15.0 points per game and topped the team with 52 steals for a norm of 1.8 thefts per contest to compliment averages of 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Imig was the Dragons’ most prolific and accurate 3-point field goal shooter with a team-high 56 treys in 142 attempts for 39.4 percent. He made 155 of 299 overall field goal attempts for 50.8 percent and converted 68 of 87 free throw attempts for 78.2 percent.

Imig earned honorable mention all-state recognition from the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star as a junior when was the second leading scorer (12.1 ppg) for Gretna’s Class B state title team. He led the Dragons with 63 steals for a norm of 2.3 thefts per contest and was Gretna’s top 3-point threat with a team-high 61 3-point field goals in 130 attempts for a team-high 46.9 percent. He made 39 of 49 free throw attempts for 79.6 percent.

Carter Klatt, a 5-10 guard from Brandon, South Dakota. Klatt is a senior at Sioux Falls Washington High School, where he averaged 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game this past season.

Cole Moes, a 6-4 guard-forward from Osmond, Neb. Moes is a senior at Osmond High School, where he earned honorable mention Class D-1 all-state recognition from the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal Star this past season after he led his team in scoring with an average of 14.5 points per game. He also averaged 5.0 rebounds per game, had 38 steals for a norm of 1.8 per contest, led the team with 17 blocked shots and made 125 of 261 field goal attempts for 48.0 percent. Moes scored a season’s high 25 points against Bloomfield and grabbed a season’s high 11 rebounds against Niobrara/Verdigre.

Moes was also an Omaha World-Herald honorable mention all-stater as a junior when he averaged 11.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game with shooting accuracy marks of 42.2 percent from the field and 71.1 percent from the free-throw line.

Kolby Molinsky, a 6-2 guard from Carroll, Iowa. Molinsky is a senior at Carroll High School, where he was a four-year starter and scored 1133 points during his prep career. Molinsky was the Tigers’ leading scorer and rebounder this past season with averages of 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game as well as the team leader with 63 3-point field goals. He made 63 of 181 3-point field goal attempts for 34.8 percent and converted 51 of 67 free throw attempts for 76.1 percent.

Molinsky also led Carroll in scoring and rebounding as a junior with career-high averages of 17.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest and topped the Tigers with 79 assists for an average of 3.6 per game. He made a team-high 55 3-point field goals in 158 attempts for 34.8 percent and led the team in free throw shooting with 70 free throws in 91 attempts for 76.9 percent. Molinsky averaged 12.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and a team-high 3.2 assists per game as a sophomore. He made a team-high 46 3-point field goals in 126 attempts for 36.5 percent and converted 58 of 73 free throw attempts for 79.5 percent. Molinsky averaged 5.1 points per game as a freshman.

Kenny Osten, a 6-1 guard from Columbus, Neb. Osten is a senior at Humphrey High School, where he averaged 9.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game this past season to earn honorable mention Class C-2 all-state honors from the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star. He dealt 71 assists for an average of 3.2 per game and led the Bulldogs with 64 steals for a norm of 2.9 per game and in field goal accuracy with 79 hoops in 149 attempts for 53.0 percent. Osten had season’s highs of 16 points against Madison, 10 rebounds against Twin River, eight assists against Randolph and six steals against Madison.

He averaged 5.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game as a junior.

Jacob Schaefer, a 6-2 guard from Carroll, Iowa. Schaefer is a senior at Carroll Kuemper Catholic High School, where he helped lead the Knights to a 24-3 record and a third place finish at Iowa’s Class 2A state tournament this past season. He averaged 8.7 points and 3.1 assists per game and was the team’s second leading rebounder with an average of 5.6 caroms per contest. Schaefer made 85 of 193 field goal attempts for 44.0 percent.

Schaefer, a three-year starter, was the Knights’ second leading scorer and rebounder as a junior with averages of 9.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He shot a career-high 50.0 percent from the field with 89 hoops in 178 attempts. Schaefer was also the Knights’ second leading scorer as a sophomore when he averaged 11.7 points per game and made 92 of 192 field goal attempts for 47.9 percent.

Colin Schroeder, a 5-10 guard from Le Mars, Iowa. Schroeder is a senior at Remsen St. Mary’s High School, where he helped lead the Hawks to a 25-2 record and a fourth place finish at this past season’s Class 1A state tournament. Schroeder, a four-year starter at St. Mary’s, earned fifth-team All-Northwest Iowa honors from the Sioux City Journal following a senior season where he averaged 11.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game and led St. Mary’s with 93 assists and 58 steals for averages of 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Schroeder made 96 of 209 field goal attempts for 45.9 percent, 20 of 53 3-point field goal attempts for 37.7 percent and 90 of 135 free throw attempts for 66.7 percent.

Schroeder averaged 10.8 points, 2.2 steals and a team-high 5.1 assists per game as a junior. He scored at a 10.4-point clip and led the Hawks with averages of 4.7 assists and 3.2 steals per game in his sophomore campaign. Schroeder started as a freshman and averaged 11.6 points and a team-high 4.0 assists and 2.4 steals per game. He was the Hawks’ best free throw shooter with 61 free throws in 80 attempts for 76.3 percent.

Jaxon Simons, a 6-2 guard from Ashland, Neb. Simons is a senior at Wahoo Bishop Neumann High School, where he was a three-time first-team all-state selection of the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal-Star and led the Cavaliers to back-to-back Nebraska Class C-1 state championships. Simons is the all-time leading scorer in Bishop Neumann history with 1561 career points. He made a school-record 217 career 3-point field goals and ranks second in the Cavaliers’ annals with 238 career steals and ninth with 237 career assists.

He was the honorary captain of this year’s Omaha World-Herald Class C-1 all-state team after he led Bishop Neumann to a 26-3 record and a Class C-1 state title. Simons averaged 18.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.3 assists per game. He was the Cavaliers’ best 3-point shooter with a team-high 75 treys in 188 attempts for 39.9 percent. Simons made 184 of 399 overall field goal attempts for 46.1 percent and converted 78 of 104 free throw bids for a team-high 75.0 percent.

As a junior, Simons was the honorary captain of the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star’s Class C-1 all-state teams after he led Bishop Neumann to a 26-2 record and a state title. He was the Cavaliers’ leading scorer with an average of 15.8 points per game to compliment norms of 3.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Simons made 159 of 319 field goal attempts for 49.8 percent, 70 of 159 3-point field goal attempts for 44.0 percent and 55 of 66 free throw attempts for 83.3 percent.

Simons topped Bishop Neumann with a 16.5-point scoring average en route to first-team Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star all-state laurels as a sophomore. He averaged 3.8 rebounds per game and made 158 of 306 field goal attempts for 51.6 percent, 52 of 126 3-point field goal attempts for 41.3 percent and 110 of 127 free throw attempts for 86.6 percent.

Damon Struve, a 6-2 guard from Granville, Iowa, who will join the Mustangs with freshman eligibility as a transfer from the University of South Dakota. Struve is a 2016 graduate of South O’Brien High School, where he scored 1123 career points and led the Wolverines to a 25-3 record and Iowa’s Class 1A state championship in his 2015-16 senior campaign. He earned first-team all-state honors from the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) and the Des Moines Register and was a first-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa selection. Struve was the Wolverines’ leading scorer and rebounder with averages of 18.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, dealt a team-high 110 assists for a norm of 3.9 per game and led the state of Iowa with 129 steals for an average of 4.6 thefts per contest. He made 183 of 388 field goal attempts for 47.2 percent and a team-high 72 3-point field goals in 203 attempts for 35.5 percent.

Struve was a fourth-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa selection as a junior when he averaged 16.6 points, 2.5 steals and a team-high 6.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He made 141 of 324 field goal attempts for 43.5 percent, 49 of 129 3-point field goal attempts for 38.0 percent and 100 of 132 free throw attempts for 75.8 percent. Struve averaged 7.6 points per game as a sophomore.

Jeff Widhelm, a 6-7 forward from Valley, Neb. Widhelm is a senior at Douglas County West High School, where he scored 1054 points and had 40 double doubles and four triple doubles over the past three seasons. He was an Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star second-team Class C-1 all-stater this past season when he averaged a double double of 19.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game and also led the Falcons with 130 assists and 102 blocked shots for averages of 5.4 assists and 4.3 blocked shots per contest. He made 189 of 348 field goal attempts for 54.3 percent and 78 of 114 free throw attempts for 68.4 percent. Widhelm posted a double double in 21 of the Falcons’ 24 contests and had triple doubles of 23 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists against Concordia and 12 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocked shots against Lakeview. He scored a season’s high 34 points against Boys Town and collected a season’s high 21 rebounds against Fort Calhoun and Concordia.

Widhelm averaged a team-high 14.8 points and 12.3 rebounds per game and made 126 of 243 field goal attempts for 51.9 percent en route to Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star honorable mention all-state honors as a junior. He dealt 101 assists and led the Falcons with 80 blocked shots for norms of 4.6 assists and 3.6 blocked shots per game. Widhelm was also an Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star honorable mention all-stater as a sophomore when he averaged 11.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots per game.

Ethan Wyant, a 6-1 guard from Jesup, Iowa. Wyant is a senior at Jesup High School, where he scored 1406 career points and was the J-Hawks’ leading scorer each of the past three seasons. Wyant was Iowa’s Class 2A scoring leader with an average of 24.4 points per game this past season to earn first-team all-state honors from the INA and honorable mention all-state laurels from the Des Moines Register. Aside from leading the state in scoring, Wyant averaged 4.5 rebounds per game and dealt a team-high 87 assists for an average of 3.6 per game. Wyant made 209 of 369 field goal attempts for 56.6 percent, 31 of 77 3-point field goal attempts for 40.3 percent and 136 of 183 free throw attempts for 74.3 percent to lead the J-Hawks in shooting accuracy in all three categories.

Wyant was a second-team INA all-stater and a Des Moines Register honorable mention all-stater as a junior when he averaged 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game and made 186 of 296 field goal attempts for 62.8 percent and 88 of 113 free throw attempts for 77.9 percent. Wyant averaged 14.0 points, 3.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game and shot 51.3 percent from the field as a sophomore.

The recruits will join a Morningside team that posted a 21-10 record during the 2016-17 season for its seventh 20-win season in the last 13 years. The Mustangs, who finished fifth in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) standings with a 10-8 league mark, have won four GPAC championships and made five NAIA Division II National Tournament appearances during the Sykes era.