By THOMAS ST. MYER
tstmyer@muncie.gannett.com

For the first time since Ball State hired him as its men’s basketball coach in 2007, Billy Taylor rode the uncomfortable recruiting conveyer belt last summer without the pressure of trying to land an immediate impact freshman.

The ride still proved as bumpy as some of the hotel beds he slept on during the recruiting evaluation period, but his discomfort officially paid off Tuesday when Ball State officially secured commitments from two players who fill future voids.

High School seniors Marvin Jordan (Peoria, Ill./Manual) and Matt Kamieniecki (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) signed their national letters of intent Tuesday to play basketball for Ball State.

The 5-foot, 11-inch Jordan fits the pass-first point guard mold. He averaged 11 points and four assists per game as a junior.

Jordan played quarterback for Manual until this past season and possesses a muscular physique. He prefers to set up the offense, but when called upon to score he prefers to penetrate and initiate contact.

“He’s not afraid to mix it, to attack the basket or play aggressive, physical defense, and I certainly like all those things,” Taylor said.

The 6-7 Kamieniecki primarily plays power forward, though he played some minutes at the three in AAU this past summer for the Michigan Mustangs. He averaged 13 points and nine rebounds as a junior for the 24-2 Clarkston Wolves.

“Another tough-nosed player with good length and agility,” Taylor said. “What he may lack at this point for bulk as a power forward he makes up for with agility and skill.”

Kamieniecki split time between basketball and baseball until this year when he decided to concentrate solely on basketball. His father, Scott Kamieniecki pitched in Major League Baseball from 1991-2000. He spent six of those seasons with the New York Yankees.

Taylor said earlier in the summer he anticipated signing four recruits for his 2010 class. He backed off his prediction of four Tuesday after landing only two in the early signing period. Taylor sliced the number to three with his sights set on securing a combo guard for the late signing period in April.

Barring a transfer or someone quitting, the Cardinals lose only two players after this season in forward Terrence Watson and point guard Brawley Chisholm.

“We feel very confident bringing in two to three guys, and we’ll make the right improvements to continue to move us forward,” Taylor said. “… We’re in a nice position to be in with a chance to evaluate rather than be in recruit, recruit, recruit mode.