Air Force Basketball Recruiting: Falcons Add Five While Losing Two For Next Season

Recruiting at the Air Force Academy is always a fluid situation. Around national signing day players that want to attend the school in Colorado Springs signs a letter of intent. Those letters are completely different than the ones signed at schools like Boise State or San Diego State because they are non-binding. If the player cannot gain admission to the Academy or choose to look elsewhere why going through the admission process, they are free to go somewhere else without consequence. It is for this reason that Air Force does not release the names of the players who sign those letters. It is up to people on Twitter and other social media sources to help the press comprise those players wanting to play for the United State Air Force Academy.

Air Force Falcons basketball has seen a couple of the players that signed those letters of intent head to other places recently. Conner Avant, a 6'7" forward who was headed to the Air Force Academy Prep School, has officially signed with North Dakota, and Melvin Brooks is going to Charleston Southern. Brooks is also a 6'7' forward that would have played for the Air Force Academy Prep School next season had he not signed with Charleston Southern.

But when doors close with players there are new doors that open. Head Coach Dave Pilipovich has been busy in April and May recruiting players, and the Falcons have seen five new players start the process to gain admission to the Academy.

Locally, the biggest name is David Louthan, a 6'3 guard who played high school on the campus of the Academy at the Air Academy High School. Louthan led his Air Academy team to the 4A State Championship this past March in Colorado and now will follow the footsteps of his father and grandfather by attending the Academy. Louthan is the son of former Falcons quarterback Marty Louthan who led the Ken Hatfield coached Falcons from 1980-1983. Grandfather Mert Hull also attended the Academy before embarking on a career as a pilot.

Three players from California highlight the national scope of the Air Force recruiting, led by Mater Dei point guard La'Vette Parker. Parker is a 6'2 guard from the California school and is a great outside shooter and prospect for the Falcons. Joining Parker in the backcourt will be a pair of 6'4 guards in Caleb Morris and Will Christmas. Morris attends the Army-Navy Academy School, but jumped at the chance to play for the Falcons because of their Princeton-style offense and the fact the Falcons covet outside shooting.

The final piece of the puzzle with recent recruiting is 6'5 forward David Park who played for the IMG Academy. Park, like the rest of the players coming to the Academy, is an above-average shooter.