Irvine, Fullerton Sign Merced Players to Help Basketball Teams Next Season

Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine basketball teams signed players from Merced, Calif., to national letters of intent Thursday.

John Sykes, a 6-foot 8-inch forward currently attending Merced Community College, will move to Fullerton next year, and Chris Cresswell, a 6-3 guard at Merced High School, will play at Irvine.

Sykes was an all-state player at Merced High before attending the University of Texas last year. As a freshman, he played in 24 games for the Longhorns, averaging 2.8 points and 2.8 rebounds. The 230-pound Sykes will not play this season at Merced Community College, thus leaving himself with three years of eligibility at Fullerton.

Cresswell, who is about to begin his senior season at Merced High, averaged 14 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds a game last year to lead his team to a 28-4 record. He was an All-Central California Conference selection.