Marty Gordon
The Radford University men’s basketball roster is starting to fall in place as Coach Darris Nichols added two more transfers and a high school standout.
Earlier this week the school announced Tony Felder, David Early and Zion Walker, all guards.
Felder joins the Highlanders after attending Stonehill College.
“Tony is a high character individual that has a tremendous story of perseverance and hard work,” said Nichols. ” He has great discipline and leadership qualities that are vital to a program. He brings two years of experience as well as the ability to make plays for himself and the others around him using his quickness and basketball IQ.”
Prior to Stonehill, the Brockton, Mass. native attended Virginia Military Institute. Between the two institutions, Felder started in 57 of the 62 games he participated in. On his career he averages 11.2 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.5 rpg and 1.0 spg. During the 2023-24 season, Felder earned a career high 30 points versus Saint Francis (Pa.).
During his freshman season at VMI, the 5’10” 160 lb. guard was ranked eighth in assists in the Southern Conference.
Early joins Highlanders for the 2024-25 season following one season at Tennessee Tech.
“David is an excellent person on and off the court, making him a great fit for our community and program,” said Nichols. “He plays extremely hard on both ends of the floor and brings a different offensive game to our team. We’re excited to welcome him to the Radford family and are looking forward to getting him here with the rest of our players this summer.”
The Holden, W.Va. native stands at 6-4, 235 pounds averaging 14.3 ppg while shooting 37% from three starting in every game he appeared in.
Prior to Tennessee Tech, Early played at Marshall in which he played in 67 games over the course of three seasons.
Prior to Division I, Early attended Logan High School (WV) where he finished his career as Logan’s all-time leading scorer and was an All-State First Team selection.
They will be joined by freshman Zion Walker, who graduated from the Burlington School.
“Our program is thrilled to be able to add Zion Walker to our Radford family,” said Nichols. “He is a guard who has consistently proven that he is a winner throughout his high school career, and we know he will bring a high level of competitiveness on a daily basis. We look forward to working with him when he arrives on campus this upcoming summer.”
The Burlington, N.C. native averaged 19.6 ppg during his senior year with an additional 4.2 rebounds per game. As a junior, Walker was a member of the NCISAA state championship team and was a two-time All-State selection during his high school career.
Rated a 3-star prospect by multiple scouting services, the 6-2 guard is the leading scorer in the Burlington School history with over 2,000 career points. Additionally, this will mark 13 consecutive years of having a member of the Radford’s men’s basketball team from Burlington, N.C.
