BRUNEI – Former USC Aiken standout Chris Commons recently
inked with the Brunei Barracudas of the Asian Basketball
League.
Commons will be a member of the Barracudas' roster for the
2010-11 Asian Basketball League (ABL) season. The Barracudas will
be Commons' third professional team.
"Once again as we always are for all our former players who sign
professional contracts, we are excited for Chris and his family,"
noted USC Aiken head men's basketball coach Vince Alexander. "We
have heard many great things about Chris' professional career so
far and we know we are going to hear more over the coming
years."
Commons joins the Barracudas after one season with BSV Wulfen of
the Basketball Regionalliga in Germany.
While with BSV Wulfen, Commons averaged 21.1 points-per-game in
helping to lead his squad to the 2010 WBV Cup Championship.
Commons started his professional career in October of 2009 with
Al Itihad Basketball Club of the Bahrain Premier Basketball League.
Commons was very successful in his first professional contract,
averaging a double-double with 35 points and 10.7 rebounds per game
during his time with Al Itihad.
Commons ended his two years at USC Aiken as an NCAA Division II
consensus All-America selection in 2008-09.
In addition to his All-America plaudits from Basketball Times
and the Division II Bulletin All-America Team, Commons was chosen
to the All-America team by both the NABC and Daktronics on Tuesday,
March 24, 2009.
He was an NABC and Daktronics All-America selection after the
2007-08 season as well. Commons was a third team choice by
Daktronics in both 2007-08 and 2008-09.
Commons is one of two Pacers to earn All-America accolades as
Clint Keown was also dubbed as a Daktronics All-America choice
after the conclusion of the 2001-02 season.
Commons is the only Pacer in program history to record
back-to-back All-America seasons.
Commons was a part of the most prolific two-year span in USC
Aiken men's basketball history. He was one of the main reasons that
the Pacers won 52 games and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in 2009
for the first time in program history in his two years with the
program.
Commons ended his four-year college basketball career with 2,002
total points.
The Findlay transfer scored 1,229 of those points in a Pacer
uniform. The point total ended his Pacer career with him No. 2
all-time in scoring in USC Aiken men's basketball history.
Commons averaged 19.2 points per game in 64 games as a Pacer.
Commons scored over 20 points 33 times as a Pacer. He did not
accomplish the feat in 2008-09, but he netted 30 or more seven
times in his career.
The Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year in 2007-08 and
2008-09, Commons concluded USC Aiken's record-setting 2008-09
season averaging 16.8 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per
game.
Commons shot 53 percent from the floor in 2008-09.
Commons finished the 2008-09 regular season sixth in the Peach
Belt Conference in field goal percentage (53.8 percent), 12th in
the league in rebounds (6.1 per game), third in the conference in
blocked shots (1.85 per game), 11th in offensive rebounds (2.30 per
game), 13th in defensive rebounds (3.85 per game) and fifth in
minutes played (31.11 per game).
Commons became the sixth member of USC Aiken's illustrious
1,000-point club in a Pacer win over UNC Pembroke in Pembroke, N.C.
Commons' points in the game helped him end the UNCP contest with
1,016 points as a Pacer up to that point in time. Commons reached
the 1,000 points in only 48 games. In the 48 games, Commons had
averaged 21.2 points per game.
Commons played his first two years at Findlay, where he finished
with 773 points in his two seasons in the program.
Commons scored 246 points during his freshman campaign in
2003-04 and 527 in his sophomore season of 2004-05. Commons
finished his junior season at USC Aiken with a program season
second-best 675 points. He finished the 2008-09 season with 554
total points.
The November 24, 2008 Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week,
Commons won the weekly nod from the league office six times in his
two years at USC Aiken.
He claimed the award five times in the 2007-08 season.
Commons was chosen to the 2009 Peach Belt Conference
All-Tournament team at the conclusion of the tournament. He was
also a member of the 2008 PBC All-Tournament team.
Commons was also named to the 2009 NCAA Division II Southeast
Regional All-Tournament team. Along with teammate Josh Dollard
(Hemingway, S.C./Auburn), Commons is one of three Pacers to earn
NCAA All-Tournament accolades as Juan Wiley was named to the NCAA
South Atlantic All-Tournament team during the 1998 NCAA Division II
Tournament.
Commons concluded his collegiate career by scoring 20 points in
the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II
All-Star game at the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The most decorated player in the history of USC Aiken men's
basketball, Commons helped guide the West team to a 138-117 victory
over the East team.
Commons was one of four players in the game to net 20 or more
points. He was one of three on the West team to tie or topple the
20-point plateau. His 20 points were the third most on the West
squad.
Commons was 8-for-14 from the floor in the game. He knocked down
four of his eight three-point attempts in the game.
Commons came one rebound shy of securing a double-double as he
had nine boards in the game. He also dished out four assists.
Commons was the first Pacer men's basketball player to
participate in the prestigious event. USC Aiken head coach Vince
Alexander was the head coach of the East All-Star team in 2008.