Smith, McGee Signed
February 18, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Mahoning Valley Thunder News Release
BOARDMAN, OH. - The Mahoning Valley Thunder in conjunction with the arenafootball2 League Office, is pleased to announce the assignment of two players from last Friday's open tryout. Offensive/Defensive Lineman Maurice Smith (6'2, 250), and Frashon McGee (6'5, 280) join the Thunder roster with training camp slated to begin in early March. Both players are af2 rookies.
Smith is a local product having played his prep ball at nearby Howland High School. As a senior, Smith was named All-State, All-Region, All-Conference and All-County on his way to contributing to the first playoff win in school history. Smith split time between Fullback and Linebacker where he was named one of Ohio's top recruits by Rivals.com.
Following high school, Smith accepted a scholarship to play at Michigan State University. After spending two seasons with the Spartans under the direction of Head Coach John L. Smith, Maurice transferred to Youngstown State University. As a Penguin, Smith shifted to the defensive line where he made five starts as a senior. Playing in all 11 contests that year, Smith totaled 19 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and four sacks. He was credited with at least one stop in eight games.
Joining Smith is Frashon McGee, a former college basketball player at Cleveland State University. McGee is a terrific athlete that brings athleticism and size to Mahoning Valley. After starting his collegiate career at Indian Hills College, McGee transferred to Des Moines Area Community College before finishing at CSU. With the Vikings, McGee averaged five points, four rebounds and an assist for a CSU team that accumulated 19 wins in his two seasons. As a prep in Iowa, McGee was named All-State, All-District and All-Conference twice.
THUNDER HEAD COACH MIKE HOLD SAYS:
"These are two guys that really stood out at our open tryout. Maurice is a big guy that moves well, he's a versatile player that we can line up on either side of the ball at a number of positions. Frashon is a player who's coming in with little experience but he's a heck of an athlete and if he can get the x's and o's down, he could make an impact for us along the offensive and defensive lines. Overall, we were pleasantly surprised to find two guys with this much talent at our open tryout. We're anxious to get both players into camp and adjusted to arena football."
arenafootball2 Stories from February 18, 2009
- Iron Sign Four Including Former Badger Brandon Kelly - Milwaukee Mustangs
- Guidugli Returns to Blizzard Roster - Green Bay Blizzard
- Dusters to Hold Final Open Tryouts this Weekend - Amarillo Venom
- Smith, McGee Signed - Mahoning Valley Thunder
- Firecats Add Eight Linemen to 2009 Roster - Florida Firecats
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
