By Patrick Ochs

POPLARVILLE – Pearl River Community College’s men’s basketball program will have some SEC flavor in the 2018-19 season with the addition of sophomore Brandon Rachal.

The former LSU Tigers guard signed with PRCC on Tuesday, head coach Chris Oney announced.

“Brandon is obviously highly touted but what jumped out to me was how humble of a kid he is,” he said. “You can tell he’s determined and driven to get his career back going in the direction he wants.

“I think our fans here at Pearl River are not only going to enjoy watching him play, but watching our team play.”

A native of Natchitoches, Louisiana, the 6-foot-5 guard was a regular in LSU’s lineup as a true freshman in 2017-18. Rachal appeared in 27 games for LSU and averaged 15.9 minutes – second among LSU freshman. He also averaged 4.4 points per game and pulled in 3.3 rebounds.

Rachal improved as the season progressed and had two of his best performances as a freshman at the end of the season. Rachal tied his career-high with 10 points in an SEC Tournament game against Mississippi State, knocking down 5 of 7 shots from the field. Rachal also recorded seven points and a career-high 13 rebounds against South Carolina.

In his final four games, against Georgia, South Carolina and MSU twice, Rachal averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and shot 70 percent from the floor.

“He’s all about winning,” Oney said. “He does whatever the team needs each night to make sure his team has more points than the other team. “He’s an exceptional young man who just happens to be a really good basketball player, too.”

Rachal was a consensus four-star recruit out of Natchitoches Central High, where he won state titles in 2014 and ’16.

The Wildcats (23-5 overall) are fresh off of claiming their 16th MACJC State Championship.