Toledo head coach Tod Kowalczyk has announced the addition of Bryce Ford, Ben Wight, and Croatian import Grgur Brcic to the Rockets' roster for the 2023-24 academic year. The incoming trio will join Sam Lewis, Xavier Thomas, and Sonny Wilson, who all had previously committed to UT last fall.
"I'm extremely happy with our three spring signees and we're not done yet," said Kowalczyk. "The addition of Grgur and Bryce give us five incoming freshmen, who play different positions and have different skill sets. What I like even more about them, as well as transfer Ben Wight, is that they can play multiple positions. That's important with how our game has changed into position-less basketball."
A 6-foot-10 forward, Brcic competed for the Croatian National team in the 2021 FIBA U18 European Challengers before playing for The International Sports Academy (Willoughby, Ohio) in the 2021-22 season and Williston Northampton School (Easthampton, Mass.) this year.
"Grgur is an athletic, physical post player who has a tremendous amount of potential," Kowalczyk said. "He's not a typical freshman after playing in international competition for Croatia and spending the last two years in the United States. Grgur was a top target for us, and we think he has a bright future."
A 6-foot-2 guard, Ford averaged 22.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.0 spg for Pinnacle High School. He was named the 6A Desert Valley Region Offensive Player of the Year and is a two-time 6A Desert Valley Region First-Team selection. A first-team all-conference selection, Ford scored a career-high 38 points twice, once in a win over Perry High School when they were ranked the No. 12 team in the nation."
"Bryce is a scoring guard who has great pace to his game and a really good feel," Kowalczyk said. "We wanted to bring someone who can really shoot it from three-point range, and Bryce is a prolific three-point shooter."
A 6-9, 220-pound forward who will have two seasons of eligibility remaining, Wight has started all 65 games at William & Mary over the last two seasons and averaged 11.3 ppg and 5.4 rpg with a 55.9 field-goal percentage. He ranked second in team scoring and rebounding this year with 10.9 ppg and 5.2 rpg and poured in a career-high 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds at Pitt (Nov. 25). As a sophomore, he topped the Tribe with 11.6 ppg and 5.5 rpg with a 61.6 FG% that ranked third in the CAA.
"Ben is a physical low-post player who certainly adds a great deal for us defensively," Kowalczyk said. "He played a lot throughout his career at William & Mary and produced in a league that's comparable to the Mid-American Conference. Ben is also a tremendous rebounder, and is a player that we think can do even more offensively."
Kowalczyk also said he was very pleased with the progress the Rockets' recruits who signed with the program in November.
"All three freshmen we signed in the fall had fantastic seasons," Kowalczyk said. "Sonny Wilson was Gatorade's state player of year. Xavier Thomas also had a really good year and has a tremendous feel for the game. Sam Lewis played for one of the best high schools in the country at Simeon High School and was an honorable-mention all-state selection."