Fresno State Athletics
Men's Basketball Signs Koffi to Letter of Intent
4/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 22, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State men's basketball coach Ray Lopes has announced the signing of junior forward Francis Koffi to a national letter of intent to play for the Bulldogs beginning next year.
A native of Paris, France, the 6-foot 8-inch Koffi played two years at Cowley County (Arkansas City, Kan.) Community College, a member of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference, considered one of the top JC leagues in the nation.
As a sophomore, Koffi (pronounced COH-fee) helped lead Cowley County to a 22-11 record and a runner-up finish in the NJCAA Region 6 Basketball Tournament. Despite totaling just 17.8 minutes per game, Koffi still earned third-team All-KJCCC honors after averaging 13.1 points per game, tops on his team. He was also Cowley's third-leading rebounder with a 6.0 average.
In the league, Koffi was sixth in field goal percentage at .567 and eighth in free throw percentage at .774.
"We are happy to welcome Francis to our basketball family," Lopes said. "His addition will add much needed depth to our front line. The thing I like best about Francis is that his best basketball is ahead of him. He comes from a tremendous junior college program where he's been well coached, and he's made great improvements from his freshman to his sophomore season.
"Francis has good athleticism and good skills for his size. He can shoot well from long range and consistently makes free throws at a high percentage. Above all else, he's a terrific young man who will fit in well with our players and program. And he's a good student who has a desire to graduate from our university."
Koffi, who led Cowley in scoring in 10 games, scored at least 25 points three times while pulling in at least 13 rebounds twice. During the 2002-03 season, Cowley County head coach Brian Smithson utilized a deep bench that saw 10 players average at least 11 minutes per game.
"Francis has great potential, and Fresno State is a tremendous situation for him," Smithson said. "He's a very skilled four-man who likes to shoot the ball and get it going. Coach Lopes will bring out the very best in Francis."
Koffi adds to a recruiting class that includes 6-8 junior swingman Dreike Bouldin (Carl Albert State College) and 7-0 junior center Jack Marlow (Salt Lake Community College). Both were signed in November. Also joining the active roster next year will be senior point guard Shantay Legans, who redshirted this year after transferring from California.
