WASHINGTON (August 16, 2023) — Howard University men’s basketball team rounded out its 2023-24 roster with two more additions to the backcourt: Jordan Hairston (Fairfax, Va.) and Joshua Strong (Brooklyn Park, Minn.). The announcement came Tuesday.
The reigning MEAC Champions add depth to a veteran backcourt.
“Getting two graduate transfer guards in Joshua and Jordan adds tremendously to our backcourt depth and experience level this season,” said Howard University men’s basketball head coach Kenneth Blakeney. “I expect both players to make immediate contributions to our program.”
Here is more information on the two newcomers:
Jordan Hairston (Fairfax, Va./ Flint Hill H.S. / UT-Tyler) — 6-foot, Guard
Hairston hails from nearby Fairfax, Va., after playing at UT-Tyler a year ago. The DMV product saw action in 25 games (22 starts) for the Patriots.
“Jordan is someone who’s career I have been following since his days at Flint Hill High School,” said Blakeney. “Jordan is an experienced guard with over 1,500 minutes of game action in four years. He will provide us with an immediate scoring boost and has the ability to play both guard positions.”
At Flint Hill H.S. (Oakton, Va.), he earned district and regional Player of the Year honors under coach Rico Reed.
Joshua Strong (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Champlin Park H.S. / Minnesota-Duluth) — 6-foot, Guard
In two seasons at Minnesota-Duluth, Strong played 67 games (14 starts) while shooting nearly 38-percent from long range. Last season, the Minnesota native eclipsed 41-percent from downtown and led the Bulldogs to a NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance.
“Josh is one of the more unique recruitments I have ever been involved with,” Blakeney expressed. “Josh got his undergraduate degree in two years from Minnesota-Duluth and was accepted into Howard Law School. It was quickly apparent that Josh would be a great asset to our program on and off the floor as he helped lead Duluth to the NCAA Division II Elite 8 this year and a combined record of 51-16 over his two seasons. To my knowledge, he is the only current NCAA Division I basketball player also enrolled in law school.”
In his senior year at Champlin Park H.S. (Champlin, Minn.), Strong made the All-Metro Second Team while averaging 20.9 points, 5.1 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game.
For more information, visit the Howard University Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.