RIPON, Wis. - Excitement surrounds the Ripon College men's basketball program as they look ahead to the 2009-10 season, thanks to the addition of five talented recruits. The Red Hawks will welcome a dynamic duo of forwards from Brillion High School, Andy Popp and Zach Meulemans, while also adding Taylor Koth from Kettle Moraine Lutheran, Joshua Perales from McAllen, Texas and Alex Erdman from Wisconsin Rapids. Popp, Koth and Erdman were all named Player of the Year in their respective conferences this past season.

The frontcourt of Popp and Meulemans teamed up to lead the Lions to an Olympia Conference Championship, as one or the other led the team in scoring in all 23 games. They were both named First Team All-Conference, with Popp leading the team in both points (18.3 ppg) and rebounds, en route to becoming Brillion's all-time leading scorer. Meulemans was second on the team in both scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding.

"Andy is very versatile and can score inside and outside, while Zach is a great defender and shoots the ball very well from the perimeter," said Ripon head basketball coach Bob Gillespie.

Koth helped lead Kettle Moraine Lutheran to a Co-Championship in the Flyway Conference, as he averaged 20.3 points and 7.5 rebounds during his senior season. He also shot 52 percent from the field, while attempting 186 Free Throws in just 21 games.

"Taylor is an explosive player who gets to the basket," Gillespie said. "He is very athletic and is a great leaper."

Perales and Erdman round out the 2009 recruiting class, as they will both primarily see time in the backcourt. Perales is a 6-foot combo-guard that averaged 15 points and five assists during his senior year at Rowe High School, which won over 20 games this season. Erdman, meanwhile, led Assumption High School to the Wisconsin Division Four State Championship Game this year, while averaging 17 points per game. Alex will also play shortstop for the Ripon baseball team in the spring.