BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University men's basketball team bolstered its roster Wednesday with the addition Danquez Dawsey (6-2, 180, G, Lawton, Okla.), Andrew Holifield (6-10, F, Beaumont, Texas) and Alexis Marmolejos (6-1, 180, G, Santiago, D.R.) announced head basketball coach Alvin Brooks Monday morning.
 
The additions, which include two guards and a 6-10 forward (Holifield), come to the Golden Triangle via the transfer route. Dawsey comes to LU from Central Oklahoma where he spent the previous three seasons, while Holifield is making his return to Beaumont (West Brook HS) after spending last season at Ranger College. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Marmolejos prepped at the Army and Navy Academy in San Diego, Calif., before signing with Arizona Western College.
 
The three newest additions bring size, scoring punch and versatility to an already athletic returning roster. They also bring the 2023-24 signing class to five total players which includes Braden East (6-9, 238, F, Houston, Texas) and Jayden Gambrell (6-3, 170, G, Houston, Texas) who signed in November.
 
"Overall, I think this is our best recruiting class since we've been here," said Brooks. "We've added a combination of size, skill, athleticism, experience and youth. We complimented the high school guys from this fall with Danquez Dawsey, Andrew Holifield and Alexis (A.J." Marmolejos."
 
Dawsey was a high school standout coming from Lawton MacArthur High School and signed with Central Oklahoma. During his three seasons with Bronchos, Dawsey averaged 8.2 points, grabbed 2.5 rebounds and dished out 2.7 assists per game. Each season, Dawsey saw his numbers improve as he finished his junior season averaging 13.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. An honorable mention All-MIAA selection, Dawsey shot better than 40 percent from three-point range in his final two seasons with the Bronchos and hit better than 82 percent of his free throws as a junior.
 
"We lost Chris Pryor, who was an all-league guard, so that was a need for us," said Books. "Danquez is an all-league guard at the Division II level. He was a top-10 guy nationally in terms of assist-to-turnover ratio, averaged nearly 14 points per game and can shoot the three. He has just one year of eligibility remaining so although he is new to us, he is a veteran player. He comes in ready to play the point and at 6-2, 180 he brings bigger size at the position than what we've had."
 
A Beaumont native, Holifield played high school basketball at Beaumont West Brook before signing with Jarvis Christian out of high school before transferring to Ranger College. A talented athlete who grew nearly four inches following his prep career, Holifield returns to Beaumont after a successful season at Ranger. Hollifield averaged nearly 12 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 assist per contest. A legitimate threat on the defensive end of the court, Holifield also averaged better than two blocks and a steal per game. Holifield's production increased when Ranger started conference play averaging 12.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest.
 
"Two years ago, Holifield was here at Beaumont West Brook and was 6-7, 165," said Brooks. "Now, he's 6-10, 190 and he can play the four or three position. He can shoot the three ball and brings a lot of skills with him back to the court."
 
A native of the Dominican Republic, Marmolejos prepped at the Army and Navy Academy in San Diego, Calif., before signing with Arizona Western. During his two seasons with Arizona Western, Marmolejos average nearly 22.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. His accomplishments on the court did not go unnoticed at the conference, regional or national level. Marmolejos was second-team NJCAA All-America, first-team All-Region and first-team All-ACCAC player who was also named to the conference's all-defense team.
 
"A.J. is a physically strong young man who can play the one or the two for us," said Brooks. "He was a player of the year coming out of Arizona Western. He is another really good three-point shooter in this class, but he is also a tough defender. Physically, he also brings added size to our guard position that we've not really had in the past."
 
Marmolejos finished the 2023-24 season being named ACCAC Player of the Year and ranked fifth nationally in total points.