Johnson C. Smith is recruiting backcourt help for the 2018-19 season.

The Golden Bulls, who advanced to the CIAA championship game last season, added five guards among eight signees as they look to replace CIAA player of the year Robert Davis and Christian Kirchman, last year’s assists leader. JCSU went for scorers in Ervin Bennett, a 6-2 guard who averaged 24.9 points and 6.0 rebounds a game as a senior at Anson Senior High and and Da’Quann Hamrick, who averaged 15 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.1 steals a game as a senior at East Rutherford High. Both are classified as redshirt freshmen.

Michael Roberson, a 6-1 guard from Indianapolis Central Christian, averaged 25 points and 5.8 rebounds per outing last season with the Chargers, who went 17-9. A team captain, Roberson also averaged 2.9 steals per game.

JCSU is addressing the point guard opening by signing Justice Goodloe, who averaged 6.3 points, 6.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game at N.C. 1A state champ Winston-Salem Prep. Goodloe (6-2, 170), who played receiver and defensive back on the football team in 2017, chipped in 2.7 steals per game for the Phoenix, who finished the basketball season 27-3.

The Golden Bulls, who graduated three centers, added some size in Augustine Ominu, a 6-8, 240-pounder from Edo, Nigeria. Ominu, who played at Durham Mt. Zion Academy, averaged 11.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in his senior session. He is the first native-born African to sign with JCSU.

JCSU continued the international trend with USC Aiken transfer Nenad Milenkovic, a 6-5 junior wing who averaged 2.0 points per game last year. Milenkovic, the first European player in program history, connected on 33.3 percent of his three-point shots while averaging five minutes a game at Aiken.

Two more transfers, Trevor Lewis (Tallahassee Community College) and Austin Wilson (USC Upstate) also committed.

Lewis, a 6-1 junior guard, averaged 6.3 points on 40 percent shooting last season. He also converted 38.5 percent of his three-point attempts.

Wilson is a 6-6, 200-pound shooting guard from Gastonia.

Comments