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Report: Former USF guard Shaun Noriega headed to UT-Pan American

Shaun Noriega, Kamari Murphy

South Florida guard Shaun Noriega (22) drives around Oklahoma State forward Kamari Murphy (21) during an NCAA college basketball game in Stillwater, Okla., Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

AP

For the second time in as many days new UT-Pan American head coach Dan Hipsher has landed a fifth-year player, as it was reported that former USF guard Shaun Noriega would transfer to the school.

On Tuesday the school announced the addition of Javorn Farrell, who will use his final season of eligibility at UTPA after spending his first four years at UMass. Noriega and Farrell represent solid pickups for Hipsher and his staff, but both are coming off of 2012-13 seasons that were shut down due to injury.

Noriega played in eight games for the Bulls before suffering a foot injury that would end his season. For his career at USF the 6-4 guard averaged 4.4 points per contest and shot 36.4% from beyond the arc.

As for the 6-5 Farrell, he didn’t play in a single game last season for the Minutemen after having his left ankle operated on in August. As a junior Farrell averaged 6.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game for UMass in just over 21 minutes of action.

“We are really excited to have Javorn as a member of our team,” Hipsher stated in the school release. “He has played and performed well at the highest levels of college basketball. He has graduated at UMass with a degree in sociology and brings maturity and leadership to our program.

“Javorn really fits our style of play in that he can play multiple positions with great skill and has a strong feel for the game. He’s a great addition to the program.”

While both Noriega and Farrell spent a lot of time off the floor last season, their additions will help the Broncs as the embark on their debut season in the Western Athletic Conference.

With UTPA’s top three scorers from last season no longer with the program the leading returning scorer is senior forward Justin Leathers, who averaged 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest in 2012-13.

Neither Noriega nor Farrell were “explosive” scorers at their original stops, but it’s safe to say that both will have ample opportunities to score in 2013-14.

Raphielle can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.