RUSTON – While the Louisiana Tech men's basketball team has gotten off to a 3-0 start to the 2018-19 season, head coach Eric Konkol is adding Bulldogs for the future with the signing of three backcourt players in the early signing period. 
 
LA Tech dipped into two of their favorite states to recruit from in Texas and Florida.  From the Lone Star State, the 'Dogs inked guards Xaiver Armstead out of McLennan Community College in Waco and Cobe Williams out of Kimball High School in Dallas while guard Lance Erving comes from Leesburg High School in central Florida. 
 
"We are thrilled to welcome Xaiver, Lance and Cobe to the Louisiana Tech Family," Konkol said.  "Our goal is to recruit first-class people from successful programs who are quality students and talented basketball players.  Each of these young men fit that profile extremely well in addition to the culture of our program, University and community.  They are all committed to becoming the best version of themselves at Louisiana Tech and we are excited to go on that journey with them."
 
Armstead is a 6-foot-5-inch, 190-pound shooting guard who as a freshman last year helped the Highlanders to their third consecutive North Texas Junior College Athletics Conference (NTJCAC) championship and a 27-5 overall record. 
 
He was named the NTJCAC Newcomer of the Year as well as being named a First Team All-Conference selection and a member of the NJCAA Region V All-Region Team.
 
"Xaiver is a wing that plays with a lot of versatility on both ends of the floor," Konkol said.  "He can really shoot the basketball and has a great feel for the game.  We are excited about the size, skill and experience level he brings to our team.  He has competed at a high level of junior college basketball for a nationally-respected program under coach Kevin Gill.  Xaiver also comes from a wonderful family with ties to Louisiana and we look forward to him joining us."
 
Armstead led the team in scoring last season with an average of 15.2 points per game while shooting an incredible 47 percent from three-point range (23rd-best in the country), making a total of 94 threes and having 13 games of four-plus triples.  He also averaged 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
 
This season, McLennan CC got off to a 6-0 start with Armstead averaging a team-best 18.3 points per game.
 
Williams is a 5-foot-11-inch, 175-pound point guard that spent the past few years at Dallas Can Academy, averaging 27 points, eight boards and six assists per game as a junior while leading the team to a state title in the Texas Charter School Academic & Athletic League.
 
"Cobe is a point guard with elite speed and quickness," Konkol said.  "He plays with exceptional pace and aggressiveness both defensively and offensively and fits well in our style of play.  We are excited about his athleticism, competitiveness and ability to create.  He plays at a very competitive level of high school basketball at Dallas Kimball High School under coach Nick Smith.  Cobe also comes from a strong family with ties to Louisiana and we look forward to him joining us."  
 
He was named the State MVP and a member of the All-State Team.  Williams, a member of Dallas Showtyme in AAU, will be playing his senior year at Kimball High school.
 
Erving is a 6-foot-2-inch, 175-pound combo guard who is used to winning as he has helped the Yellow Jackets to back-to-back Florida 6A state titles as a sophomore and junior.  Leesburg has lost only one game in their last 46 and are currently ranked No. 3 in the state and No. 30 in the nation by Max Preps.
 
"Lance is a combo guard with terrific athleticism," Konkol said.  "He can play on and off the ball and shoots it with efficiency.  We love his ability to be a creator and a finisher.  He has experience playing an uptempo style and comes from a winning program under coach Sean Campbell.  Lance has a tremendous family at home and we are excited about him adding to the tradition of Bulldog players from the state of Florida."
 
As a sophomore, he averaged 13.1 points per game for the season, but he upped that average to 20.0 points in the postseason.  He scored 20 points in both the semifinal win over Ribault and in the 57-53 victory in the finals over Mariner, receiving Player of the Game honors in the championship. 
 
Was named to the All-Breakout Team this past summer after averaging 14.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game as a junior with the Yellow Jackets becoming the first Lake County program to win back-to-back team championships. 
 
He plays for E1T1 United in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) and is currently ranked as the 22nd best player in the state of Florida by Florida Hoops. 
 
For all the latest in Bulldog Basketball, follow them on Twitter (@LATechHoops), Instagram (@LATechHoops) and Facebook (LATechMBB) or visit the official website at LATechSports.com.