Two Baldwin Countians became Faulkner State Community College men’s basketball coach Jack Robertson’s latest recruits last week when the long-time FSCC hoop mentor signed former Gulf Shores standout guard Brandon Hubbard and Baldwin County High School center Marcus Broughton to athletic scholarships.

Hubbard signed Wednesday afternoon in the Crimson Room in the FSCC gymnasium. Broughton signed the following morning in the BCHS conference room. They join 6-foot-6, 215-pound Auburn-Montgomery transfer Zach Abney of Tallahassee, Fla., as Robertson first signees for the 2007-08 season.

The 6-2 Hubbard, who signed with Alabama Sate University out of high school but dropped out of ASU before playing for the Hornets, is one of Baldwin County’s all-time leading prep scorers and 3-point shooters, having knocked down more than 1,600 points in three seasons at Gulf Shores High. He graduated in 2006 after averaging 27 points per game as a senior, 28 as a junior and 13 as a sophomore.

He was named to the All-Baldwin County and all-region teams in both his junior and senior seasons and made at least one all-state team as a senior.

Broughton, the only senior and the only player taller than 6-1 on last season’s 23-5 BCHS team, averaged about 10 points and six rebounds and nearly two blocked shots a game as a senior for Tigers’ coach Lorenzo Hunter in 2006-07.

“These are two big signees for us,” Robertson said. “We’re always looking to sign as much quality local talent as we can and we definitely got two good ones in Brandon and Marcus. Brandon’s one of the best shooters and scorers to ever play in Baldwin County, but he also knows how to find the open man, too. Marcus is also a team player who can score when the need arises.

“They both need to get in the weight room and get bigger and stronger and we’ll have them doing that real soon after we get them in a few summer classes. I think both of them will fit into our program real well.”

The opportunity to play close to home was key factor in Hubbard’s signing with FSCC.

“I like it here. It allows me to be close to my family and it’s a big deal in that everyone can come see me play,” Hubbard said. “Alabama State just wasn’t the right fit for me, but I wanted to continue playing basketball.”

During the past basketball season, Hubbard went to a few Faulkner games, met Robertson and, Hubbard said, “decided to come here.”

The 6-6, 220-pound Broughton said Hunter “got me where I’m at now. He kept on pushing me and (wouldn’t) let me quit. As the only senior, I had to step up. Sometimes you had to lead the team, sometimes I had to see what the team would do for (me). Sometimes I had to lead, sometimes they’d lead for you, because I know they pulled me out a couple (of times) and I pulled them out of some (adverse situations).”

The opportunity to play close to home was also important in Broughton’s signing with Faulkner, he said, and added that he hoped playing two years for Robertson would take him to the four-year-school level.

Hunter considers Broughton, who was cut from his eighth-grade team in middle school, one of his top projects in the coach’s nine seasons at Baldwin County. He said Broughton succeeded “through hard work and persistence, and there’s still a lot more hard work to go.”

“There’s been some highs and there have been some lows (and) we’ve grown and matured together,” Hunter said. “Marcus being the only senior of the team probably makes me more proud more than anything.

“Marcus stood up, being the only senior, and said, ‘Coach, put that burden on my back.’”

Robertson said the thing he and assistant coach Wade Anderson like about Broughton as a senior was “the way he got better at the end of the year. He just seemed to improve and improve and improve and we feel like if he keeps doing that with us, he’s got a chance to be a good player. He’s got the size and potential to be really big and help us inside.”