STEPHENVILLE – The Tarleton men's basketball program, under the direction of Head Coach Lonn Reisman, announced their second signing in two days with the addition of De'Andre Upchurch.
A native of Flint, Michigan, Upchurch comes to Stephenville after a two-year stint at Highland Community College. There, he dominated at the junior college level earning all-conference honors two years in a row.
As a freshman, the 6-2, 190-pound guard led Highland CC to a 22-14 record, a NJCAA Region VI Championship, and a District 2 Championship. The Scotties made it all the way to the National Championship, which marked the first time in school history, before eventually falling.
Individually, Upchurch was named to the All-Jayhawk East Second Team and All-Region VI D-II First Team. He averaged 21.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Upchurch also shot 41 percent from behind the arc and 46 percent from the floor overall.
This most recent season, Upchurch entered his sophomore year as the No. 28 player according to JucoJunction.com. He once again earned All-Jayhawk East First Team honors en route to being the fifth highest scorer in the nation. He leaves Highland CC as the all-time leading scorer with 1,516 points. Last season, Upchurch averaged 25.6 points and 3.1 rebounds each contest. He also improved his free throw percentage to 83 percent, while continuing to shoot over 40 percent from three-point range and overall.
Against No. 3-ranked Coffeyville, Upchurch had a career night with 40 points on 5-of-13 three-point shooting and a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line.
Coach Reisman talked about Upchurch as a vital addition to the Texan program.
“De'Andre is a proven scorer and terrific shooter coming out of junior college,” said Reisman. “With the graduation of last season's starting shooting guard Chris Harrell, we had an immediate need to fill and Upchurch is a great place to start. De'Andre loves to work on his game and the coaches at Highland have all been very complimentary about him as a player and person. I was impressed with De'Andre during his first time on campus. He's the only recruit I've ever had on an official visit call me at 10 p.m. and ask if he can come to the gym and shoot. We feel De'Andre is ready to excel under the expectations that come along with playing for this program and know he will be one that Tarleton fans will enjoy watching play."
Upchurch joins Jon Cathey-Macklin, Chuck Guy and Michael Hardge as the newest members of the Texan program.
For more information regarding the 2012-13 Tarleton men's basketball season, check out TarletonSports.com.
