EAST HANOVER, N.J. – Montclair State University Basketball First-team All-New Jersey Athletic Conference forward JACOB MORALES, who led Montclair State to its first conference title in 22 years, has been added to the roster for USA Garden State Basketball's 10-day European tour that departs from Rome, Italy, on Aug. 10, it was announced today.

He joins San Diego State guard Nick Boyd and guard AJ Williams of Carthage College as early commitments to a tour that follows a highly successful 10-day USA Garden State Basketball tour throughout Croatia and Slovenia last June.

The selection process to fill out the roster is ongoing.

The 6-4 Morales led the Red Hawks to a 22-7 season that ended with a loss to Western New England in the second round of the Division 3 NCAA Tournament. The Montvale, N.J., native and former Pascack Hills High School standout was Montclair State's leading scorer (19.1 ppg) and rebounder (5.0), and also had a team-best 55 assists. He was among the most accurate 3-point shooters at the Division 3 level, going 108-for-235 (46 percent) from beyond the arc.

"It's especially meaningful for me to have Jacob join us because of his Montclair State connection," said Fred Hill, a Montclair State graduate whose Team Hill Foundation co-sponsors the European tour. Hill led Montclair State to a conference title as well during his senior season in 1981.

Against William Paterson, Morales had a season-high 40 points, going 9-for-11 on 3-pointers while connecting on 14-of-17 shots overall. The senior-to-be also had a season-high 10 rebounds that game.   

The latest European tour will take place via Seabourn Cruise Lines, as was the case during the inaugural trip last June.
          The tour runs from Aug. 10 through Aug. 20 and starts in Rome. Stops include Amalfi, Italy; Lipari, Italy, Valletta, Malta; Mgarr/Gozo, Malta; Trapani, Italy; La Goulette, Tunisia; La Ciotat, France, and Rosas, Spain.
          Games will take place at a variety of stops during the tour, as was the case a year ago.

For more information, contact Garden State Basketball Executive Director Gabi D'Agostino at 631-339-1502 or via email at usagardenstatebasketball@gmail.com.

For additional information on the 10-day European tour, as well as the inaugural tour last June, visit usagardenstatebasketball.com.