BUTTE, Mont. – Montana Tech head men's basketball coach Adam Hiatt announced his first recruits today. Transfer Chris O'Neill and Jordan Jones join the Orediggers this fall.

O'Neill, a 6-foot 175-pound point guard from Pleasanton, California, arrives at Tech from Snow College in Utah. Snow finished in the top four of Region XVIII both seasons O'Neill was with the team. The same conference produced last year's national champion.

"We are thrilled to have Chris join our program here at Montana Tech," said Coach Hiatt. "He is a true point guard and will make an immediate impact on our team.

Having played significant minutes over the past two season for a terrific junior college program against dozens of high-level Division I players will be of great benefit as he transitions into the Frontier Conference."

O'Neill started in 23 of the Badgers' 31 games in 2015-16 season. The guard averaged 3.3 assists per game and had 25 steals on the season. He ranked in the top ten in the conference in assists (102) and assist-to-turnover ratio. He averaged 6.2 points per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and a conference leading 45.6 percent from beyond the arc.

"His toughness, leadership, shooting and speed were exactly what we were hoping to add to our roster," said Hiatt.

My wife and I are very excited to start a new journey in a brand new territory," O'Neill said. "I look forward to continuing my basketball career as well as my education at Montana Tech."

O'Neill, who maintained a 3.98 grade point average the last two seasons, plans on pursuing a degree in Computer Science. Chris comes to the Mining City with his wife Gretchen and daughter Isabelle.

From Liberty, Utah, Jordan Jones brings additional size to the Orediggers standing 6-feet-9. The center led Weber High School to a 20-4 overall record as a senior and three 5A state tournaments and a Region I Championship.

"Jordan is a great recruit for us," said Coach Hiatt. "He is big and long and is extremely polished defensively for such a young player. We are excited to develop his offensive game even further over the next four years."

Jones averaged nearly 10 points a game for Weber. He pulled down 6.5 rebounds a game and led the state in block shots. He was named first team All-Region.

"He is an unbelievable human being and an outstanding student that will thrive at Montana Tech. We expect Jordan to bring a level of maturity, effort and productivity to our program that will be contagious."

"It's been a goal of mine to play college basketball since I was a little kid. As the opportunity has become more and more real, I've been searching for the best possible fit, both for a great basketball experience and a great education," said Jones. "Everything has been falling into place and Montana Tech is that perfect fit
I've been looking for. I'm already very impressed with the school itself and all that Coach Hiatt has done as he's taken over the program. I'm excited to be a Digger, and I can't wait to see where the upcoming years take us!"

Jones graduated with honors maintaining a 3.97 grade point average. He plans on pursuing a degree in General Engineering or Pre-Professional Health.