Two players, one out of high school and the other a junior college player, have signed national letters of intent to play basketball at IPFW.

Elgin Lee, a 6-4 guard from Progressive Christian Academy in Camp Springs, Md., and Oleg Kovalov from Cloud Community College in Kansas will join the team next season.

Lee, whose team finished 18-11 last year and was third in the National Association of Christian Academy Championships, averaged 25.5 points and five rebounds per game at PCA.

“Eli is a quality combo guard who makes everyone around him better,” IPFW coach Dane Fife said.

“He really understands how to play and has the ability to balance his scoring while distributing the ball. I think our guys are really going to like playing with him.”

Kovalov, a native of Kiev, Ukraine, is a 6-8 forward. He played two seasons at Cloud Community College. Last season he averaged 9.1 points and five rebounds per game as the Thunderbirds posted an 18-13 record.

“Oleg is a versatile forward who should be able to contribute in a number of ways right away,” Fife said. “He's a good shooter who takes pride in defending and rebounding, which I like. Additionally, his overall athleticism will be a nice addition to our roster.”