Eddie Lima

Class:
Junior

Hometown:
Recife, Brazil

Last College:
Arizona Western College

Height / Weight:
6-9 / 280

Position:
Center

Experience:
JC

Eddie Lima will be a big part of Cal State Fullerton's success in 2007-08... A newcomer with substantial physical presence, his size and inside skills will be critical to anchor the otherwise perimeter-oriented Titans' attack... Successful community college player from winning program in Arizona who will be asked to dominate in the paint... Hometown is pronounced hrah-SEE-fay.

ARIZONA WESTERN COLLEGE: Key member of two very successful teams at Arizona Western in Yuma for Coach Kelly Green... Nicknamed "The Tree Trunk"... As a sophomore started all 33 games and averaged 7.4 points and 6.8 rebounds for a 27-6 Matadors' club that was 18-4 for a first-place tie in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference... He was third in the conference in field goal percentage at .569... Led team to the Regional championship, earning MVP honors with 15 points and 14 rebounds vs. Cochise and a stellar defensive effort on Eastern Arizona's NJCAA All-American center Marcus Palmer in the finals... He was the ACCAC athlete of the week on Feb. 4 after 17-point, 10-rebound and 10-point, 6-rebound efforts in wins over Yavapai and Phoenix Colleges... As a freshman he was a part-time starter around arthroscopic knee surgery as the Matadors went 28-7 and advanced to the national championship tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas, after an 18-4 conference season... He averaged 6.9 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting .624 from the floor.

FRANCISCO SALLES CULTURATO HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Francisco Salles Culturato High School in Araraquara, Brazil, graduating in 2004... Played center and forward for two years for Coach Joao Marcelo Leite.

PERSONAL: Born on July 15, 1984, in Recife (hrah-SEE-fay), Brazil ... Parents are Edvaldo and Cecilia Mariz of Recife, an Atlantic port and the fourth largest city in Brazil ... Full name is Edvaldo Freire De Souza Lima... Has two brothers, Alan and Cristiano... Spanish major... Played on the Brazilian national team... Credits Coach Leite for most influence on his career: "Because he believed in me and helped me in tough situations that I went through in the past."