Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Men's Basketball	SIUE Men's Basketball SIUE Athletics

Lennox Forrester

June 27, 2008 SIUE Men’s Basketball Inks Transfer           EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville men’s basketball coach Lennox Forrester announced the signing of Aamir McCleary (Philadelphia, Pa.) to a national letter of intent.           McCleary, a 6-foot-1-inch point guard, ran the offense the past two seasons for Panola College, in Carthage, Texas. He averaged 9.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game during the 2007-08 season for the Ponies. McCleary shot 107-235 (45.5 percent) from the field, 37-92 (40.2 percent) from three-point range and 44-59 (74.6 percent) from the charity stripe this past season. He averaged 8.4 points per game as a freshman in 2006-07.           “Aamir adds guard experience to our roster. He’s a very intelligent point guard who will show leadership on the floor,” noted Forrester.           He also led Panola College to 18 victories and a trip to the Junior College Region XIV Tournament Semifinals for Coach Jacob Wonders.           “I’m pretty excited about his ability to shoot, pass and dribble,” Forrester said. “Because the style of play over the last two years for Coach Wonders is similar to what we do here, he will fit well into our system.”           McCleary comes from a family with a strong basketball background. Malik Rose, a 12-year NBA veteran and two-time NBA Champion with the San Antonio Spurs in 1998-99 and 2002-03 is the older brother of McCleary.                     -siue cougars-