Courtesy: GS Photo http://gsphoto.photostockplus.com/ Steve Hawkins has added four players to his roster beginning in 2009-10.

KALAMAZOO -- Western Michigan men’s basketball head coach Steve Hawkins has announced the signing of four student-athletes to a National Letter of Intent during the NCAA Early Signing Period. The Broncos will welcome David Brown (Roscoe, Ill./Rockton Hononegah), Austin Harper (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven), Nate Hutcheson (Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar) and Shayne Whittington (Paw Paw, Mich/Lawrence) as freshmen for the 2009-10 season. All four players will have four seasons of eligibility available.

“The biggest thing with this class is that it filled our needs,” Hawkins said. “We’re losing four seniors at four positions and with this group we were able to fill similar positions and we have more size with this group. I feel really good about how they’re going to fit in as players and as people and I think they will be tremendous representatives of Western Michigan University.”

Brown, a 6-3 guard, is a Rivals.com three-star recruit who averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and 3.5 assists per game on his way to First Team All-State honors in Illinois. He was named NIC-10 MVP as a junior after leading the Indians to a school-record 28 wins and their first-ever conference and regional championships. He scored a career-high 40 points in a two-point loss in the Class 4A sectional semifinals. He also advanced to the Illinois Three-Point Shootout and finished fourth in the state.

“First and foremost, he’s a scorer and he does it in a variety of ways,” Hawkins said. “He’s a very good shooter, but he also drives the ball well and is able to take a bump and still finish. I think he is built for the Division I-level because of his size and strength.”

Harper, a 6-3 guard, is rated as the No. 3 senior point guard in Michigan according to Bankhoops.com. He averaged 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals per game as a junior and was named Honorable Mention Class A All-State by the Associated Press. He helped the Buccaneers finish 15-6 and nearly win the O-K Red Conference, for which he was named to the first team all-conference squad.

“Austin is somebody who really grew on us over the years,” Hawkins said. “He’s always been a good penetrator and great passer, plus he’s a very good athlete that can dunk the ball in traffic, but shooting the ball and size were a concern. He has put on some great weight and it was evident he put in a tremendous amount of work on his shot. He had a great spring and summer and was awarded with a number of offers and to our benefit he decided to accept ours.”

Hutcheson, a 6-7 forward, is a Rivals.com three-star recruit that led Linn-Mar to a 20-5 record and third-place finish in the Class 4A state tournament. He averaged 15.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game last season, while hitting .716 from the line and .534 from the floor. The 2007-08 All-Metro Second Team honoree was also a member of Linn-Mar’s state championship team in 2006-07.

“It was not the normal recruiting process for us with Nate because we got in on him so late,” Hawkins said. “The situation with Nate was similar to David Brown in that there was something about Western Michigan that intrigued them and we love players that love us and want to be Broncos.

“He’s 6-7, a very good leaper and very fast player. He’ll surprise you with his athleticism. He combines that with an outstanding three-point shot with great range and that’s something we really needed.”

Whittington, a 6-10 center, is the No. 4 senior center in Michigan according to Bankhoops.com. He averaged 11.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and shot 59 percent from the field in leading Lawrence to a 23-2 mark and the Class D state semifinals. He was also named Honorable Mention Class D All-State by the Detroit Free Press.

“We looked at Shayne and couldn’t pass on him because of his tremendous potential,” Hawkins said. “He’s a legitimate 6-10, runs like a deer and has a great frame that will support additional weight. When you combine all of those things with how close he is to the University and it’s a no-brainer. Also we don’t want to lose West Michigan players when we have a need for those kids. We had a need for Shayne and I believe he will be in tremendous situation because we have big players in the program that he can learn from and can take the pressure off him early in his career.”