May 12, 2015 DAVIS, Calif. - Siler Schneider, Garrison Goode, Joe Mooney and Chima Moneke each signed a National Letter of Intent during the spring window to become the newest members of the men's basketball program.
The quartet will join Lawrence White and Rogers Printup, student-athletes who committed to UC Davis in the fall; all six will arrive to campus this summer to take classes and begin off-season workouts with their new teammates.
"This recruiting class has a common characteristic: They are all winners on the floor and in the classroom," said UC Davis head coach Jim Les. "With these additions, our roster is deep and talented, which will make for very competitive practices. We also felt strongly that the personalities of this group were a great fit for the team culture and environment that our returning players have created."
Schneider, a 6-foot-3 point guard from Lansing, Kansas, arrives to UC Davis after helping Lansing High School capture three Kaw Valley League championships in four seasons.
After guiding the Lions to the state semifinals during his freshman and sophomore years, Schneider's teams reached the state championships during his final two seasons on campus. Even though Lansing fell short of its ultimate goal during his junior season, Schneider helped his team cap a perfect 25-0 record the following year with a state title.
Throughout his four years with the program, Lansing won 86 of 99 games (.868 winning pct.).
Schneider, a first team all-league recipient, also earned first team all-state accolades as a junior before he was named Kansas 5A Player of the Year this past season.
By averaging 17 points and five assists as a senior, Schneider was also a finalist for the DiRenna Award, presented to the best player in the Kansas City area.
"I chose UC Davis because I felt extremely comfortable with the coaching staff, the team, and knew this program was moving in a positive direction," said Schneider.
"Joe is a very skilled combo guard who makes everyone on the floor around him better. He can score, create scoring opportunities for his teammates and is an intense competitor," said Les.
Schneider spent this last year at the Air Force Academy Prep School, and received an offer from Ball State before committing to UC Davis.
Goode averaged 9.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists for a Dominican High School team that posted a 24-3 record last year and captured a Division IV state title.
Shortly after the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native received all-state honorable mention and first team all-Metro Conference honors, Goode inked his commitment with UC Davis.
The 6-foot-8 forward chose the defending Big West Conference champions over offers from Bradley, UW-Milwaukee, Sam Houston State and South Dakota State.
"This school is perfect for me," said Goode. "UC Davis offers a great balance between its academics and athletics, the coaches have talked a lot about my potential and are willing to work hard to help me develop my overall game.
"I'm excited to join a program on the rise and want to help this team reach the next level."
"Garrison is long, athletic and plays above the rim," Les said. "We love his versatility to play multiple positions on both ends of the floor. His upside is immense."
During his final season at Notre Dame College Prep, Mooney, a 6-foot-3 guard, averaged 19 points, five rebounds and four assists per game to help his team advance to the 4A state semifinals.
Mooney also helped Notre Dame, earn berths in the sectional semifinals and regional finals in his sophomore and junior seasons.
Selected team captain by his teammates this past season, the Wauconda, Illinois, native shot 46 pct. from distance and 83 percent from the stripe.
In addition to receiving all-state third team recognition from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, the Chicago Tribune also bestowed all-state accolades to the East Suburban Catholic Conference Player of the Year.
This past season, Mooney was named MVP of the Lane Tech Thanksgiving Tournament and the Wheeling Hardwood Christmas Classic. He also scored a season-high 37 points against Hinsdale Central High School.
Shortly after receiving first team all-area accolades from Pioneer Sports, Mooney, a Magna Cum Laude graduate, received an invitation to compete in the Chicago Catholic League All-Star Game. In that showcase, he scored 25 points for his East squad.
"I really trust the coaches and can tell that they really care about the players. Coach Les believes in me and knows that I really fit his system," said Mooney.
"Winning is extremely important to me, that is the type of culture that they have built at UC Davis.The team is like a family and has great chemistry; there is a really solid core group of guys and I can't wait to be a part of it."
Said Les, "Joe is a multi-dimensional scorer who can shoot the three as well as get to the basket. He plays extremely hard and has a great feel for the game."
Mooney also received offers from Air Force, Western Michigan, Illinois-Chicago, South Alabama, UAB, Marist and New Hampshire.
Completing UC Davis' spring signing class is Moneke, a 6-foot-6 forward from Canberra, Australia.
Throughout his final two seasons at Lake Ginninderra College - a public school comprised of students in grades 11 and 12 - Moneke averaged 21 points and 9.4 rebounds per game as a junior. In his first year on campus, Lake Ginninderra advance to the quarterfinal round of postseason play.
Moneke averaged 22 points and 18.1 rebounds as a senior and led a team that finished as area runners-up with its 30-2 record.
Throughout his secondary school tenure, Lake Ginninderra won a combined 54 of its 63 games played (.857 pct.).
After graduating high school at the age of 16, Moneke attended Northeast Community College where he excelled both on, and off the court. An academic first-team recipient in all four of his semesters at Northeast, Moneke held a 3.7 GPA before transferring to UC Davis.
On the court, he recorded remarkable numbers by recording 20 double-doubles during his final year at Northeast and finished with per game totals of 17 points and 12 rebounds - the fourth-highest mark in the country.
Those numbers helped Northeast win 25 of 32 games, and led to ICAC Division I second-team all-conference honors for the Nigerian native.
"I chose UC Davis because it was easily the best fit for me basketball wise, and academically. The coaching staff recruited me for the longest time and is confident about developing my game to reach the next level. I am excited to join a team that has great chemistry among its coaching staff, and throughout the program. This team has a winners' mentality; I am ready to join the team and help UC Davis continue its success," said Moneke.
"Chima is an explosive athlete who dominates around the basket with his rebounding and scoring ability. His versatility to play inside and out is perfect for our system," said Les.
Moneke also received offers from Oral Roberts, San Diego, Fresno State and Loyola Marymount.
All six Aggies will join a program that won its first-ever Big West Conference championship, and secured the program's inaugural Division I postseason appearance last season. In addition to finishing the year as national three-point champions, and one of only 14 teams in the country with an undefeated home record, UC Davis also earned its highest mid-major national ranking (No. 8) during the 2014-15 season.
Men's basketball also set new school records with its 25 overall, 14 league, 14 home, 11 non-conference and 10 road victories.
