PORTLAND, Ore. – University of Portland men's basketball has signed a pair of talented guards to National Letters of Intent on the first day of the early signing period, first-year head coach Terry Porter announced on Wednesday. Point guard JoJo Walker (Santa Maria, Calif./St. Joseph High School) and combo guard Taki Fahrensohn (Auckland, New Zealand/Auckland Grammar School) will join the Pilots as the first two members of the class of 2017 and will enroll as incoming freshmen next fall.

JoJo Walker (6-1, 170) was named the CIF Southern Section Division 5A Most Valuable Player after leading St. Joseph High School to the 2016 CIF title. He also earned Central Coast Newspapers All-Area MVP honors and PAC 8 First Team honors while leading the team to a school record 31 wins. The squad won tournament titles at the Vegas Invitational and White Mountain Holiday Classic as Walker was named all-tournament in both events. He averaged 18.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game as a junior.

 "JoJo is a very talented point guard with good size and speed," Porter said. "I love the way he competes with great energy at both ends of the floor. We are excited to add a player with JoJo's natural abilities and drive for improvement. His character will be a great fit for both our program and the UP community."

Originally hailing from Puerto Rico, Walker settled with St. Joseph and overcame a broken leg that forced him to miss his entire freshman season. He bounced back as a sophomore by earning All-CIF Southern Section first team honors, All-Area first team recognition, and PAC 8 first team selection after averaging 18.7 points and 4.9 assists per game. He earned all-tourney honors at the 2015 Vegas Invitation and 2015 White Mountain Holiday Classic, while leading St. Joseph to the tournament team title.

Despite missing one whole season of prep basketball, Walker has scored 1,236 career points entering his senior season. He erupted for a career high 45 points versus Chaparral High School as a junior and scored 37 points against Atascadero High School as a sophomore.

"JoJo and Portland are a perfect fit," St. Joseph head coach Tom Mott said. "He knew from the moment he stepped on campus that he wanted to be a Pilot and Coach (Bob) Cantu, who I've known since we competed in high school against each other, was instrumental in the recruiting process. JoJo is a hard worker who aims to make his teammates better. There is no doubt that under the tutelage of Coach Porter and the entire staff he will continue to develop into one of the top point guards in the West Coast Conference."

Taki Fahrensohn (6-5, 180) will bring athleticism, length and versatility to Portland's backcourt next season. Fahrensohn's diverse skill set was showcased as he was the team captain and leading scorer for Auckland Grammar School at the 2016 New Zealand Secondary Schools Basketball National Championships. He averaged 33.6 points over seven games, including a 47-point effort in a quarterfinals victory against top-ranked Christchurch Boys High School.

"Taki provides a lot of versatility as player," Porter said. "He can play the point or either wing position, which gives us as coaches a lot of options. He is a top notch scorer that can shoot it with range and also attack the rim off the bounce in the open court. Taki will continue to get physically stronger which will complement the diverse skill set he is bringing to the program."

Fahrensohn is also a member of the New Zealand Junior Tall Blacks, the country's national youth team, and part of the New Zealand Breakers Academy.

"I am looking forward to Taki going to the University of Portland," Auckland head coach Manu Hoque said. "It has been quite a journey for him to get to where he is right now, but I never had a doubt because of the talent and character that he has. Taki has a lot of upside to his game. He is very versatile and can play multiple positions. I am excited to see him play and compete with the other players in the West Coast Conference as it has great competition. To play in the NCAA has always been Taki's goal and I am delighted that it has become a reality. Not only is Taki excited to be part of the basketball team, but also looks forward to the education he will be getting from the school.

"I am confident that Coach Porter and his staff will be able to hone and develop Taki over the next few years as they have many years of experience and great knowledge to share. It makes me happy to know that he will be in good hands."

"The future looks bright with the addition of JoJo and Taki," Porter said. "They will bring a lot to the program in terms of basketball talent, but most importantly they are people that our fans, the City of Portland and the UP community will be proud to call Pilots."

Porter and the Pilots will tip-off the 2016-17 regular season this Friday when UC Riverside visits the Pilots for a 7 p.m. tip-off. Tickets are still available for Portland's 16-game home schedule by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or calling the Pilot Box Office at (503) 943-7525. Season tickets start at $88 or Mini Packages featuring five of the top home games are also available for purchase. Single game tickets are also on sale now for a majority of games.