Head coach Brent Owen recently announced the addition of five players for the 2020-21 roster in a continued effort to revitalize the Eastern New Mexico men’s basketball roster.

Owen will welcome a junior college transfer in Tre’vion Crawford and four players who will have four years to compete in the Green and Silver in Niko Bossinakis of Colleyville, Texas, Sebastian Jimenez from Tatum, N.M., DeWayne Dawson from Clovis, N.M., and Riley Hestand from Carlsbad, N.M. All five players will begin their careers at Eastern New Mexico as guards and will each bring a much-needed shooting presence to the roster for the Hounds.

Crawford joins the Hounds following a two-year career at Central Community College in Colombus, Neb. in which he led the Raiders in scoring last season, averaging 20.3 points per contest. He was named to the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference All-Conference team and was named the NJCAA National Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 2-Dec. 8 after averaging 31 points a contest while knocking down 15-of-27 attempts from beyond the arc.

The native of Omaha, Neb. scored 30 or more points in five different games and led the team in scoring in 15 different outings. He led his Omaha Bryan High School team to a state semi-finals appearance his senior season after converting a buzzer-beater in the quarterfinals to lead his squad to victory.

“We are very excited to add Tre’vion to our team,” Coach Owen said, “He is a talented scorer who can flat out shoot the basketball. He has strength that allows him to finish well through contact and he showed on several occasions that he is willing to make the play in big moments. He has a history of leading teams to championships in both high school and junior college and has a reputation for being very tough which Coach Vo and I made a top priority for every player in this recruiting class. I’m expecting big things out of this young man.”

Bossinakis will also bring a high-level scoring ability to Portales after spending last season at Suffield Academy, a post graduate school in the NEPSAC. Bossinakis averaged 13.5 points per contest and 6.0 rebounds per contest for Suffield in 2019-20, and will have four years of eligibility remaining as a Greyhound.

Bossinakis graduated from Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas and finished his four-year varsity career as the program’s all-time leadings scorer with 1,793 points. He earned four consecutive all-district selections and was ranked in the Top 60 of the GASO Rivals 2019 Class. He also garnered his team’s Most Valuable Player Award three different occasions and has been responsible for over 2,100 total points during his high school and prep careers.

“It was very important to Coach Vo and I that we found a great four-year player in this class who could be a foundation piece for our program,” Coach Owen said, “Niko’s ability to shoot the ball coupled with his “go all-out” mentality will allow him to help our team right away.  His tough-minded, hard-working character will also allow him to be a player we can build around in the future. His high school coach was Steve Hamrick, who is the all-time leading 3-point shooter in ENMU history, and you can tell just by Niko’s footwork that he was coached by a great shooter.  We are excited Niko has decided to spend four years as a Greyhound and look forward to seeing him make his own mark on our program.”

A trio of local products will also join the Hounds as coach Owen and the Greyhounds look to entrench themselves in the local basketball scene early in his tenure.

Jimenez averaged over 17 points per contest for a Tatum High School squad that finished with an overall record of 22-8 in 2019-20 and advanced to the semifinals of the Class A NMAA State Basketball Tournament. Jiminez also led the Coyotes with an average of 7.2 assists per game and captained an offense that shot 58 percent from the floor in 2019-20.

“Sebastian is a great student and smart basketball player who can shoot,” Coach Owen said, “He was valedictorian of his class and it shows in the way he plays. We are excited that he is joining our program.”

Dawson was equally as efficient on the offensive end of the court for Clovis High School in 2019-20, leading the Wildcats to a record of 21-9 and a no. 8 seed in the Class 5A NMAA State Basketball Tournament. He averaged 14 points per contest and five assists a game as the leader of the Wildcat offense.

“DeWayne is an athletic guard who can shoot the ball and make plays,” Coach Owen said, “We believe he has a high ceiling and are excited to get to work with him. It’s great to be able to add a talented local player to the roster.”

Hestand will join the Hounds following a three-year career at Carlsbad High School and recently wrapped up a season in which he helped lead the Caveman to a record of 14-14 and a birth in the Class 5A NMAA State Basketball Tournament. He will bring a high-level of basketball IQ and toughness to a young and talented Greyhound back court.

“Riley will be joining our program from Carlsbad High School,” Coach Owen said, “Riley is a determined young man. He wanted to play at the highest level he could and turned down other opportunities to join our program as a walk-on. He wants to be a coach after college and I look forward to helping him grow as a player and as a future coach.”