Memphis Men's Basketball Signs F Rodney Carney

University of Memphis basketball coach John Calipari announced Tuesday the Tigers have signed Indianapolis Northwest High School forward Rodney Carney.

"We're really excited about Rodney coming to Memphis," said U of M coach John Calipari. "He gives us a 6-6 player who plays well above the rim. He is a good shooter and with the loss of Kelly Wise, Rodney gives us back some of the athleticism we lost."

The 6-6 forward averaged 21.5 points and 13.5 rebounds as a senior at Northwest. He was named the Indianapolis Star's Player of the Year. He has been named an Indiana All-Star.

Earlier this month in the 11th annual Super Shootout, which pits the top players from the city and metro area of Indianapolis, Carney scored 25 points and had a game-high 16 rebounds. In the 2002 Reebok North-South Classic, he scored 16 points.

During his senior season, Carney registered a triple-double against Manual High School, scoring 11 points, pulling down 13 rebounds and blocking 10 shots.

In addition to basketball, Carney is a member of Northwest's track team and has the state's top high jump (6-10) and second-best 400-meter time (49.7).

The U of M's signing class also includes Memphis Craigmont guard Jeremy Hunt (6-3, 175) and Almany Thiero (6-10, 240) who prepped at Mt. Zion Academy in Durham, N.C., and is from Mali, West Africa