ASHLAND – Needing to replenish its frontcourt and deepen the guard spots, the Southern Oregon University men's basketball team has signed six incoming freshmen to Cascade Conference letters of intent who should accomplish both, head coach Brian McDermott announced Wednesday.

Arriving in Ashland this fall will be the Raiders' first products of South Medford High in over a decade, forward Hunter Bradford and wing Conor Carroll; forward Tate Hoffman, who went head-to-head with the South Medford duo as his West Linn team won its fourth consecutive OSAA Class 6A title in March; wing/forward Jason Simmrin, joining the Raiders after a decorated prep career at San Marcos High (Calif.); crafty Australian guard Aaron Borich; and Jordan Hunt, a 6-foot-9 post who will become the first New Zealander to suit up for the Raiders in McDermott's 20 years.

The Raiders, coming off their fourth straight 20-plus-win season and third appearance at the NAIA tournament during that span, will come into the 2016-17 season needing to replace three starters: Australian all-stars Joel Spear (point guard) and Jordan West (forward), who left as the program's all-time leaders in wins, and Clay Sierra (forward), who completed one standout season at SOU while working on his master's degree.

SOU will return eight players from its 2015-16 roster (including three redshirts), but only four regular rotation players – starters Ben DeSaulnier and Kenny Meyer, and backups Justin Martin and Tristen Holmes. Just like last season, when freshmen and sophomores accounted for 42 percent of the Raiders' total minutes, underclassmen figure to be a prominent part of the equation again.

"We'll be asking freshmen to play a significant role and believe this is the unique class than can provide quality minutes early in their careers," McDermott said. "We've been graduating big guys for the last few years without replacing them, and this class doesn't contain as many true posts but has a great group of guys that provide the flexibility of playing all over the court. Every one of these players is very unselfish, which has become a bedrock principle in our program, and they can all stretch the floor and have good basketball IQs."

AARON BORICH | 6-1, 180 | Westfields Sports High (Sydney, Australia)
About: Borich played club basketball for coach Adrian Dark, who served as a volunteer assistant at SOU for parts of seasons from 2012-14 and also coached Jordan West before he became a Raider. For his current club team, the Bankstown Bruins, Borich is the team leader in assists and is averaging 18.5 points with 25 3-pointers made in 11 games. In 2015, he was named the Molten Waratah League Rookie of the Year for the Youth Men's Division I.

"Aaron is a point guard that also has ability to play the '2'," McDermott said. "He has a great feel for the game and is definitely ready physically to play as a freshman. He'll stretch the floor with great range and can also get to the rim and finish."

HUNTER BRADFORD | 6-7, 230 | South Medford High
About: As a senior at South Medford, Bradford averaged 10.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks as the Panthers went 27-3. He was a first-team All-Southwest Conference selection and received honorable mention All-State recognition.

"Hunter is another player who is equally comfortable facing up or playing with his back to the basket," McDermott said. "He'll stretch the floor and can score inside, and his skills make him a good fit for our motion offense. He has a big body that should allow him to bang with the other big guys in the CCC."

CONOR CARROLL | 6-4, 175 | South Medford High
About: Carroll was South Medford's leading scorer at 12.1 points per game, draining 53 3-pointers and connecting on 57 percent of his shots from inside the arc while also collecting 4.3 rebounds per game. He was an All-SWC selection and honorable mention All-State.

"Conor may be the sleeper of the group," McDermott said. "We love his all-around game and how well he'll fit into our system; he's an excellent passer that will help our motion continue to run smooth. He can score from behind the arc and also has some back-to-the-basket post game, and he'll eventually be able to play three positions and give us a tremendous amount of flexibility."

TATE HOFFMAN | 6-6, 220 | West Linn High
About: Hoffman was a major part of the recent dynasty built at West Linn, ranking second on the Lions in points (11.7, 58-percent shooting) behind only three-time OSAA player of the year Payton Pritchard. He was also second on the team in rebounds at 5.3 per game.

"He's a big wing/forward who stretches the floor and comes from a program where winning is a habit," McDermott said. "Tate is very young for a high school senior and has a lot of room to grow physically, but he already runs the floor very hard and has very good hands. He can play the trail position with his ability to shoot the 3 and is much like most of this class in that he's very versatile."

JORDAN HUNT | 6-9, 220 | Hutt Valley High (Lower Hutt, New Zealand)
About: Hunt's size made him a dominant player at Hutt Valley High with per-game averages of 28 points on 55-percent shooting and 14 rebounds. He'll play at center and power forward for the Raiders and has the ability to shoot from the outside.

"He can shoot it and is a very good passer, so he fits into our motion very well," McDermott said. "He's much like Jordan West in that he has a great feel for the game, good hands and can score inside and out. He has a frame that will be able to add some weight and, as he matures physically, he'll be a force in our league. We're excited to add another international student-athlete to our team."

JASON SIMMRIN | 6-6, 240 | San Marcos High
About: Set to become the only California native on the roster, Simmrin played on the wing and at power forward on his way to posting clips of 15 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals and two assists as a senior at San Marcos High, where he was twice an all-league performer. He put up those numbers while playing alongside a Fresno State-bound teammate, Johnny McWilliams, and helped lead the Knights to a CIF Division I title.

"Jason is another well-rounded player who even played some point guard for his AAU team and can score inside or out," McDermott said. "He sees the floor well and does not allow the ball to stick. He definitely has some 'old man' elements to his game and is sneaky athletic, and we envision him playing on the wing as well as in the post."