EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE men's basketball coach Brian Barone has announced another addition to his roster. JoQuarius (Jo) Valrie (Houston, Texas) has transferred to SIUE.
Valrie, a 6-foot, 5-inch, 180-pound forward, started all 58 games over two seasons at NAIA Point Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He averaged 20.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game for his career. He was twice named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 list. The award is given annually to the top player in men's college basketball below the NCAA Division I level.
Point Park won 30 games in 2023-24 and 23 the season before.
"Jo will bring us experience and production in multiple areas on the floor," Barone said. "He has always been somebody that has won and that was important to us when we had the opportunity to have Jo be part of our team. He can shoot the ball from three, guard multiple positions on the court, and rebound. He adds to our versatility and style of play. Most importantly, Jo brings a level of maturity and character to our program, which we put a high priority on. His journey to get to us shows his willingness to do whatever it takes to make himself better on a daily basis."
Last season, Valrie averaged 20.1 points and pulled down 10.1 rebounds. He scored at least 20 points in a game 20 different times during the season. He scored 30 or more in a game four times, including a 35-point game against Wilberforce in December. He connected on better than 45 percent of his shots overall.
"I'm truly grateful and honored," Valrie said of signing with SIUE. "I can't wait to get to work and bring home a conference championship and make the NCAA tournament. I want to give thanks to Coach Barone and all of the coaching staff for being great overall people and also for believing in me and welcoming with open arms to the program. I am super excited to get to work, but also very excited to build lifelong relationships with my new coaches and teammates."
Valrie is the seventh member of Barone's 2024 recruiting class. He joins Cham Okey, Ring Malith, Myles Thompson, Kyle Thomas, Jordan Hamilton and Darrion Baker, who were previously announced.
SIUE finished the 2023-24 season at 17-16 overall, marking consecutive winning seasons for the first time since transitioning to Division I.
