DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University men's basketball team has signed guards Jalen Gibbs and Noah Thomas to National Letters of Intent, head coach Niko Medved announced Friday, May 12.

Gibbs is a 6-3 guard from Waldorf, Md., that was recently named the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference Most Outstanding Player and was a Washington Post first-team All-Met selection and became North Point High School's all-time leading scorer.

Thomas, a 6-2 point guard from Sydney, Australia, competes for the AUSA program in Australia.

"We're excited to get a player of Noah's pedigree to join our program," Medved said. "Noah is a point guard with great speed and quickness that knows how to get others involved. He has the ability to score when needed. He's a well-traveled player that has competed against great players here in the U.S. and around the world. We think he has the potential to make a big impact on our program moving forward."

In the United State, Thomas has been a member of 22ft Basketball Academy and Oak Hill Academy.

"Noah has something special to his game that I really think you can't teach," said Steve Ivimey, managing director of AUSA. "That shiftiness, crazy speed and ability to win games are natural gifts Noah possesses. I truly believe Coach Medved and his staff are going to be able to get the most out of Noah, on and off the court."

Gibbs, a guard Medved states can score from any spot on the floor, scored 621 points as a senior at North Point High School to average 28.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while chipping in 3.3 assists per outing.

"We're thrilled to add a player like Jalen to our program," Medved said. "Jalen is a classic guard that can affect the game in so many areas. He can defend multiple positions on the perimeter and has a great nose for the ball. We feel like he's a guy that will have a huge impact for the Bulldogs."

He scored 30 points or more nine times in his senior season with 10 20-point games and 10 double-doubles.

"Jalen signing with Drake was one of the rewarding signing days I have been a part of," said North Point head coach James Ball. "After a stellar sophomore season, we changed our offense to accommodate the players we had. Jalen scored 100 fewer points and had fewer scoring opportunities, but didn't say a word about the changes and just wanted to win games. Jalen could have transferred out to another program, but he didn't. He told me he wanted to finish what he started. I will always have a special place in my heart for Jalen and his family for the support of our program."

Gibbs and Thomas are set to join a roster that is projected to include nine returning letterwinners and seven that were regular starters in 2016-17.