BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University men's basketball team strengthened its roster with the addition of Tarig Eisa announced head men's basketball coach Tic Price Thursday morning. Eisa transfers to LU from Gillette College in Wyoming.
 
Eisa's addition brings the Cardinals 2020 signing class to four joining Kasen Harrison (guard), Quinlan Bennett (guard) and Lincoln Smith (forward) who signed with LU back in November.
 
"Tariq is a good student in the classroom but his versatility as a player really stood out to us," said Price.  "He is capable of playing both the three and the four position. He is a very athletic guy, but we were also looking for someone who could play above the rim, run the floor and knock down a three when called upon. Tarig can do all of those things.
 
"He is the right fit to come in here and replace a player like T.J. Atwood. I'm not saying he's the same player or that we're putting those expectations on him, but he is a gym rat just like T.J. and he's a hard worker on the court. He is a great fit with our returning players and will play a crucial role in terms of helping us become a better team. Tarig will be as good as he wants to be," added Price.
 
A 6-8, 210-pound forward from Oakville, Ontario, Eisa makes his way to Beaumont from Gillette, Wyoming. A two-star prospect coming out of the junior college ranks, Eisa was ranked among the North Pole Top 25 high school players in 2018 where he earned Powerade All-America honors. Eisa averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks per game during his senior season at the Polanyi Collegiate Institute.
 
Eisa saw a great deal of production from his first season of junior college basketball to his second. After averaging fewer than four points per contest as a rookie, he became one of the team leaders this past season averaging 10.1 points per game while pulling down better than four rebounds per contest. His point production is even more impressive considering he averaged just 23 minutes per game as a sophomore. If his point production was forecast out over a full 40 minutes, he would've averaged better than 17 points per game.
 
Eisa helped lead Gillette to one of their best seasons in program history with a 26-6 (.813) overall record. The Pronghorns averaged better than 92 points per game and advanced to the Region IX semifinals this past season.