March 24, 2009 - Coming off a very successful 2008-09 season, Charger men's basketball coach John Tharp is pleased to announce the signing of four players who will join the team starting with the 2009-10 season.

Anthony Manno (Dearborn Divine Child), Tony Nelson (Jenison), Nick Washburn (Seymour High School/Mahomet, Ill.) will all join the men's basketball team as its incoming freshman class in 2009.

In addition, Brent Eaton will join the Chargers after spending his freshman season at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Eaton, a 6-5 swingman, will have three years of eligibility with Hillsdale College.

Manno played in one of the toughest leagues in the state, the Detroit Cathoilic League, and was a standout at Divine Child. He was a McDonald's All-American nominee, and helped lead his team to a first-place finish in the Catholic League as a junior in 2007-08. Manno also earned All-State, All-Catholic and All-City honors throughout his career.

A 4.0 student, Manno played his AAU basketball for the Common Bond Basketball Club, coached by Doug Lee. He led his AAU team in scoring, pouring in 24 points per game. He lists cooking as one of his favorite non-basketball activities.

Nelson is the younger brother of Hillsdale College football alumn Derek Nelson, who played for the Chargers from 2003-07. Tony Nelson was one of the state's top 3-point shooters as a junior at Jenison High School and was named All-Conference. He averaged more than 10 points and 10 rebounds per game in his last two seasons, and played on the Grand Rapids Storm AAU team under coach Jason Martin.

Nelson has a 3.4 high school grade point average, and has coaching experience during 3-on-3 basketball tournaments in the Grand Rapids area.

Washburn is a 6-foot-9 post player from Seymour High School in Mahomet, Illinois, and was ranked with many Division I prospects on various prep ranking lists in the state of Illinois. He was listed in the News Gazette's Preseason Nifty Fifty, listing the top 50 overall players in his area.

Washburn played for the Illinois Wolves AAU team, and earned a 4.02 grade point average in high school. He also played football and golf as a freshman and sophomore.