SEATTLE – High school seniors Riley Carel and Cory Hutsen along with junior college standout Jeff Dorman signed letters of intent to attend Seattle Pacific University, men's basketball coach Ryan Looney announced Wednesday.

All three recruits will arrive on campus in the fall and are eligible to participate in the 2010-11 season for the defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Falcons.

A 6-foot-2 guard, Carel was the 2010 Washington state Class 3A co-Player of the Year. He averaged 12.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists to lead Enumclaw to a 27-1 record. The Hornets advanced to the state championship game, which they lost 51-50 to Union.

Carel had a double-double in the championship game with 11 points and 10 rebounds. A two-time South Puget Sound League 3A MVP, he was ranked as the state's 10th best prep guard by NorthwestHoops.com.

“Riley is a winner. He and his team at Enumclaw High School had a tremendous season this year,” Looney said. “Riley understands what it means to compete and has been coached very well in that area. We feel like we just added a lot of toughness to our roster with the addition of Riley Carel.”

Hutsen is a 6-8 forward from Skyline (Wash.) High School. He led the team to the 2010 Class 4A tournament, just the school's second state berth. The Spartans finished eighth, completing the season with a 22-5 record.

A first-team All-KingCo selection, Hutsen averaged 15.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He poured in 29 points against Issaquah on Feb. 12.

Hutsen was ranked as the No. 6 forward in the state of Washington by NorthwestHoops.com.

“Cory will have a chance to become a great player in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. He has the ability to play inside and outside, which will be good for our system on offense,” Looney projected. “He comes from a great high school program, so we know he has been well coached.”

Dorman is a 6-2 guard who led Clackamas (Ore.) Community College to consecutive Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) championships. Dorman was named to the all-tournament team and the Southern Division all-star squad.

He averaged 19.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists as a sophomore at Clackamas. Dorman prepped at Prairie High School in Vancouver, Wash. He was voted the MVP of the Greater Saint Helens League as a senior after averaging 13.1 points and 4.9 assists to lead Prairie to its fourth straight Class 4A state tournament berth.

“We like Jeff's toughness and understanding of the game,” Looney said. “He gives us some experience on the perimeter and one more shooter on our roster. Jeff will be a great fit with what we already have on our team.”

Wednesday's signees join a trio of newcomers who had already committed to the Falcons, including 6-foot-11 Gonzaga transfer Andy Poling (Portland, Ore.) who is currently attending spring quarter classes at SPU.

David Downs and Ryan Todd inked letters of intent during the November early signing period. Downs is a 6-2 perimeter player from Bellevue Christian High School who is ranked the No. 7 guard in the state of Washington by NorthwestHoops.com. The No. 9 guard on that list is Todd, a 6-3 wing from Jackson High School in Mill Creek, Wash.

“The overall general theme is that we wanted to add guys who were winners, players from winning teams that would increase the level of toughness in our program,” Looney explained. “We were able to accomplish those things with the group of people that we've added.”

The recruiting class will help fill the void left by the departure of five Falcons seniors after the 2010 season.

“We feel really good about what we got accomplished during the recruiting process. We added a bunch of players that can help our program,” said Looney.

The SPU men made their sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and ended the 2009-10 season with a No. 18 final ranking. Looney was voted the GNAC Coach of the Year and junior point guard Chris Banchero was the league's Player of the Year.

Four of the Falcons' top-six scorers return, including three starters.

“All of newcomers will mix well with what we have returning. We feel good not only about the kids we have coming in, but the guys we have coming back too,” Looney concluded. “What we've built is an extreme amount of depth that should create competition in practice, which in turn will make everybody better.”