By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations
NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State men’s basketball team’s roster is set for 2024-25.
Head coach Rick Cabrera announced Friday the addition of five newcomers that complete his team’s roster for the upcoming season.
Joining the Northwestern State roster are guards Jon Sanders II, Dontae Walker and Ayden Warren and forwards Lado Laku and Addi Patterson.
A 6-foot-2, 180-pound point guard from Detroit, Sanders II comes to Northwestern State after a season at Coastal Carolina. In his lone season with the Chanticleers, Sanders appeared in 30 games with 16 starts.
He averaged 7.2 points and 1.5 rebounds per game and ranked second on the team with 78 assists. Sanders produced six double-figure scoring games, including back-to-back 17-point outings against Wofford and College of Charleston in December 2023.
Sanders began his college career at East Los Angeles College where he helped ELAC compile a 52-9 mark in two seasons by averaging 9.6 points and 3.2 assists per game in his career. He also swiped 1.2 steals per game for a team that was featured in the Netflix series “Last Chance U.”
As a prep player, Sanders helped lead Southfield Christian to consecutive state titles in his junior and senior seasons, earning all-conference honors both years and graduating with a 3.5 grade point average.
“Jon brings talent and experience at the point guard position,” Cabrera said. “During the recruiting process, we were very impressed with Jon’s ability to score and get others involved. He also displayed a great ability to defend the ball at a high level. As one of our seniors, we are looking for Jon to display his leadership qualities immediately while helping us win a championship.”
Walker is a 6-6, 210-pound combo guard from The Bronx, New York, who spent the past three years at Chipola College in Marianna, Florida.
Walker helped the Indians win three consecutive regional championships. In 2023-24, Walker led the Indians in scoring at 12.5 points per game while starting 26 of the 32 games in which he appeared. Walker grabbed 4.4 rebounds per game and added 1.5 assists and nearly a steal per game.
He played at Chipola with fellow NSU signee Jerald Colonel.
Prior to Chipola, Walker spent four years at Carolina Basketball Academy in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. In his final three seasons, Walker averaged at least 20.1 points per game each season. A two-time league MVP, Walker was the league’s Freshman of the Year, averaging 16.2 points per game and helping CBA post a 19-11 record.
“Dontae is a physical versatile wing that will bring a toughness that’s needed on the perimeter,” Cabrera said. “During his junior college career, he displayed a strength for attacking and finishing at the basket and ability to make open shots. Having coached against him, I noticed his toughness and being a winner. I’m looking forward to Dontae bringing his strengths to this team, which will equate to winning.”
Warren, a 5-10, 170-pound shooting guard, spent his final two high school seasons at St. Mary’s in Natchitoches.
He helped lead the Tigers to a combined 57-13 record in his two seasons, earning second-team all-state honors as a senior. A two-time first-team all-district honoree at St. Mary’s, Warren was a first-team All-CENLA choice as a senior.
As a junior, Warren earned honorable mention all-state and All-CENLA honors.
Warren also earned a pair of honorable mention all-state honors in baseball as a junior and as a senior.
“Ayden is one of two freshmen who have joined our team,” Cabrera said. “He has brought a great ability to shoot the basketball at a high level. As a freshman, he brings toughness in the weight room and on the court. We are looking for Ayden to come in and work to get better as well as compete every day to make his teammates better.”
Laku, a 7-foot, 220-pound forward, joins the Demons after spending the 2023-24 season at Arkansas State. In his lone season with the Red Wolves, Laku averaged 2.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in 29 games (five starts).
Laku helped Indian Hills Community College reach the semifinals of the NJCAA Tournament in 2023, averaging 4.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. That followed the 2021-22 season where he helped Cal State Fullerton reach the NCAA Tournament.
Laku began his college career at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the 2020-21 season after an all-state career at Lake Highlands High School in Dallas.
While in high school, Laku averaged a double-double in three of his four seasons, topped by averages of 19 points and 12 rebounds per game in his senior season.
“Lado comes to NSU as an experienced senior who will have an impact from day one,” Cabrera said. “He’s displayed a great presence on the defensive end but has also showed consistency with his back-to-the-basket post moves. His size and athleticism will be very beneficial for how we want to play on both ends of the floor. I’m looking forward to Lado finishing his career by being an impactful big in the Southland Conference.”
Patterson, a 6-7, 200-pound forward from Missassauga, Ontario, Canada, re-signed with the Demons after originally joining NSU ahead of the 2023-24 season. Patterson missed that year with a knee injury and delayed his enrollment until this fall.
While at Tallahassee Community College under Cabrera, Patterson scored in double figures in 31 of his 33 games, including 16 games with at least 20 points and three 30-plus-point games, topped by a 39-point eruption against Gulf Coast State.
Patterson began his collegiate career at Oregon and redshirted one season at Nevada before playing the 2022-23 season at Tallahassee where he helped Cabrera build an Eagles team that reached the Final Four of the NJCAA Tournament. Patterson led the Eagles in scoring at 19.4 points per game while grabbing 5.1 rebounds per game.
A versatile athlete, Patterson added 3.5 assists per game while shooting 52.3 percent from the field. A consensus Top 100 recruit out of Bella Vista College Prep, Patterson averaged 4.6 points per game for Oregon in 28 games as a true freshman in 2019-20.
“I’m really excited to coach one of the best junior college players in the country in Addison Patterson,” Cabrera said. “I’ve coached some talented young men throughout my career, and Addison is up there with the best. I’d hoped to have coached him last year, but he endured a setback that delayed his time here at NSU. Addison displays a versatile game from every position on the court. His ability to score the ball is on an elite level, but his IQ and his passing ability put him on another level. Addison is a high-major talent who should have a big impact in this league from day one.”