Basketball players sign NLI football letters

<p> On Wednesday, athletes from across the state made the collegiate futures official by signing their National Letters of Intent. Several players who are very productive on the basketball court signed their NLI’s for football on Wednesday. Here are six of those players from a big list.<br />  <br /> Chevalier “Karate” Brenson 6’4 CBC: The standout wide receiver signed with Ball State. On the basketball court, he is a Draymond Green-like performer who plays all positions for the Cadets. He is currently averaging 11.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists while also playing stellar defense. He has been a starter and key player on two consecutive Final Four teams in 2019 and 2020.</p> <p>Cole Keller 6’5 Grain Valley: A big wide receiver who signed with Washburn. He has been a monster on the basketball court this season, averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds and nearly three blocks a game. He plays with an extremely high motor at both ends of the court. He had 29 points and 22 rebounds in a victory over Fort Osage last week.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="824154" first="Roddy" last="Alexander"] 6’1 O’Fallon-Christian: A four-year starter in both football and basketball, he is headed to Iowa Western C.C. to play football. On the basketball court, he led Christian to the quarterfinals of the Class 3 state tournament last season. He is currently averaging 17 points a game for the 12-5 Eagles this season.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="981137" first="Noah" last="Copeland"] 6’5 Kirksville: The Truman State signee is a big receiving threat who had more than 2,000 yards in receptions and 20 touchdowns in the past two seasons. He is a force on the basketball court as he led the Bulldogs to the Class 4 state quarterfinals a year ago. He is currently averaging a double-double for the Bulldogs state-ranked team this season.</p> <p>Jake Closser 5’9 Blair Oaks: The Truman State signee was a dazzling big play receiver for the Falcons Class 3 state-championship football team. He is also the starting point guard for the Falcons basketball team that is a major contender in Class 4. He has a chance to be major piece of two state championship teams in two different sports.</p> <p>Will Lee 6’1 Kirkwood: A standout two-way performer who is headed to Iowa Western. He is one of several Kirkwood football standouts who make up the nucleus of a 14-3 team. He is the Pioneers leading scorer and rebounder at 12 points and six rebounds. He is an explosive athlete who excels in the defensive end.</p>