Georgia native ranked among nation's top 25 three-point shooters in 2012 class

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — Three-point sharpshooter Shaqueille Calhoun signed with Tennessee Tech on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period, Golden Eagle head coach Steve Payne announced.

Calhoun, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound senior at Model High School in Rome, Ga., has earned wide recognition for his ability to score from three-point range — he was named to ESPN.com’s list of the top 25 three-point shooters nationally in the recruiting class of 2012.

According to the ESPN report, Calhoun is a high-volume shooter who plays with confidence, giving Tennessee Tech a “dynamic scorer who can knock it down from deep or pull up off the dribble.”

Though he is primarily a scorer, Calhoun also brings toughness and a high basketball IQ, says Payne.

“He really excels at coming off picks and shooting the ball, but he’s also got some toughness to him and he can play a lot of different styles,” Payne said. “He has played for an excellent high school coach in Andy Akin, and because of that, he’ll come in prepared for basketball at the Division I level. His style of play may remind Tennessee Tech fans a little bit of (former TTU standout) Belton Rivers.”

Calhoun averaged a double-double as a junior in 2010-11, scoring 25.7 points per game and pulling down 11.3 rebounds per contest while also dishing out 3.9 assists. He has scored 1,561 points in his career and grabbed 601 rebounds while leading Model to state tournament appearances in 2009 and 2011.

He was named the Rome News Tribune Player of the Year after his junior season and is a three-time Region 7AA all-star as well as a three-time Northwest Georgia Tip-Off Club all-star. Calhoun played in the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Junior All-Star Game and was named to the Rome News Tribune All-Area Team in both 2009 and 2010.

“I’ve coached high school basketball for 30 years, and he’s one of the best players I’ve been around,” said Model head coach Andy Akin. “Not only is he a great outside shooter, but he’s big and strong enough that he’s good on the inside also. I think Tennessee Tech is a great fit for him. I was really impressed with the coaches from the beginning and through the entire process.”

Calhoun said he chose Tech because it feels like home and he believes he will fit well in the Golden Eagles’ system.

“I felt like I was at home,” he said of his time in Cookeville. “I like coming off picks to shoot the ball, I feel that’s the best part of my game, and I think I’ll fit into what (Tech) does offensively. I want to get better as a defensive player and develop a better all-around game, and I’m looking forward to playing for coach Payne. He’s one of those coaches players would pretty much die for.”

The son of Brian and Tamika Griffin, Calhoun plans to major in business management at Tech.