SENATOBIA –  Sophomore forward D.J. Flippin of Northwest has signed a national letter of intent to play for the University of Mount Olive Trojans his final two seasons.

"I'm excited to continue my career at the next level," Flippin said. "I'm happy to be closer to home so my family can make it to more games. I've had a good relationship with the staff since my junior year of high school, so it's definitely a good fit. We have a whole new team coming in and they're looking for experience, which I feel like I have."

Flippin will be playing a short 69 miles from Mount Olive to his hometown of Holly Springs, N.C.

The 6-foot-6, 205-pound forward transferred to Northwest for his sophomore season after averaging 11.3 points and 6.1 rebounds-per-game at the State College of Florida where he was named First Team All-Suncoast Conference. He saw action in 18 games for the Rangers this season, helping Northwest to a 17-9 record and postseason berth.

Flippin is the first Ranger from this year's class to sign and several more are expected in the coming weeks.