Eaddy, Harshberger sign with Southeast Missouri State basketball

Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Rick Ray and women's basketball coach Rekha Patterson each added a high school senior to their rosters for next season.

Guard Tahj Eaddy and guard/forward Jessie Harshberger each signed their National Letter of Intent on Wednesday, the first day of the spring signing period, which ends May 18.

Eaddy a 6-foot-2, 165-pound combo guard, will join the Redhawks as a freshman next fall along with guards Denzel Mahoney and Ray Kowalski, who both signed with Southeast during the early signing period in November.

Southeast returns five players from last year's team after freshman Tony Anderson left the university to declare for the NBA Draft, freshmen Jaylin Stewart and Robby Dosier decided to transfer and freshman Eric McGill was dismissed from the team.

"I am excited about Tahj's decision to join our basketball family," Ray said in a press release. "Tahj has dedicated himself to basketball and has incessantly worked on his game to improve his skill level. The end result is that he has blossomed into a true combo guard who can create offense for himself and others while also possessing the ability to quarterback his team."

Eaddy played at Notre Dame High School in West Haven, Connecticut, for the first three years of his high school career before attending Tennessee Preparatory Academy in Memphis as a senior.

He averaged 24.6 points on 48-percent shooting and 4.2 assists per game last season. He shot 46 percent from beyond the arc and knocked down 88 percent of his free throws en route to being named the National Association of Christian Athletes Elite Division Most Valuable Player.

"Tahj is going to bring toughness at the guard position. He is very efficient with a high basketball I.Q.," Tennessee Preparatory Academy coach Harold Rayford said in a release. "Tahj makes great decisions and he is a bonafide scorer that keeps the defense honest just knowing that he can hit the outside shot. He is the ideal teammate to have and is a great kid to be around.

"We were impressed by the enthusiasm that Coach Ray and Coach [Benjy] Taylor showed in our program and believe that Southeast Missouri State is getting a great player with Tahj Eaddy."

Harshberger, who's 5-10, was a three-year starter at Dodge City High School in Kansas.

Her 833 career points ranks second in school history.

She was selected the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year and All-WAC first-team twice during her high school career, as she helped the Red Demons to a pair of conference championships and consecutive undefeated conference seasons.

"Jessie is a very competitive and talented student-athlete that fits our culture," Patterson said in a release. "We are excited that she brings athleticism, size, and toughness to our program."

Harshberger scored 321 points to go along with 127 rebounds, 34 assists and 67 steals during her final season at Dodge City and earned third-team Topeka Capital honors.

Harshberger, who also participated in volleyball and track and field, qualified for state in the 800-meter run and 4x800-meter relay four times.

The Redhawks previously signed guards Iyanna McCurdy and Lakyn Gulley and forward LaShala Saine during the early signing period.