INDEPENDENCE, Kan. - A pair of Independence big men will trade in the blue and gold for the colors of their new homes as Lonnie Bass Jr is heading off to Division I Morehead State, while Fortune Anslem-Ibe is heading to Division II Savannah State. 

Bass Jr, the 6’8 freshman was a double-double threat on any given night in his one season with the Pirates. The Las Vegas native averaged 9.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, along with hauling in a conference best 256 total rebounds. Bass Jr’s best outing came in a one point loss to Barton as he finished with 18 points and 18 rebounds, one of his eight double-doubles on the season. 

The Golden Eagles of Morehead State compete in the Ohio Valley Conference and are looking to build upon a strong 25-26 season where they finished 20-13 before falling to eventual conference champion Tennessee State in the OVC tournament. The Ohio Valley Conference is also home to SIU-Edwardsville, the new home of Pirate wing David Wilson. 

Anselm-Ibe, the seven foot post for the Pirates will take his elite interior defense to the Division II level as he will join Coach Thompson’s Tigers next fall. The native of Nigeria worked his way into the starting lineup throughout the season, averaging 2.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game to go along with a block per game, good for fourth in the league. His 26 total blocks was also good for fifth in the league. Anselm-Ibe hit his season high of 10 points on two different occasions, in road losses to both Cowley and Neosho, and had a season high 11 rebounds in a home win over Seward County. Defensively, he hit his season high mark of three blocks a trio of times, two of them in wins over Hutchinson and Cloud County. 

The Tigers compete in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and are coming off a winning season, finishing 16-12. They fell in the second round of the conference tournament, a tough one point loss to Miles College.