Men's Basketball | August 04, 2023
AIKEN, S.C. - The University of South Carolina Aiken, in conjunction with head men's basketball coach
Mark Vanderslice, is excited to announce the addition of three student-athletes for the upcoming 2023-24 academic year.
Rhyjon Blackwell,
Samarion Bond and
Simeon German will continue their athletic and academic careers at USC Aiken beginning this fall.
Blackwell is a redshirt-sophomore from Baldwin, N.Y. He previously attended Florida Southwestern and McNeese State. While at Florida Southwestern, the 6-0 guard played in 28 games and tallied 8.5 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds a game. He garnered a career-high 28 points against Pasco-Hernando State and was an all-league selection. Blackwell guided his team to a 24-6 ledger with an appearance in the FCSAA DI State/NJCAA District Tournament semifinals. At McNeese State, he played in nine games, including four starts, before missing time due to an injury.
At Baldwin Senior H.S., Blackwell canned 15.5 points a night and dished out 7.2 assists per game while picking up all-county and all-conference honors.
"We are thrilled about the addition of Rhyjon to our Pacer family," Vanderslice said. "He is the ultimate competitor with an insatiable will to win. His drive and focus are some of the core characteristics that caught my attention from the beginning of his recruitment. Along with being a terrific ball handler and lights out shooter, he is a versatile guard that has the capability of commanding attention on both ends of the floor. He never takes a day off and plays extremely hard. Defense is such a vital piece to our team identity at Aiken and he embodies that in every sense of the word. His competitive spirit and winning attitude mesh perfectly with our team and I can't wait for him to get started!"
Bond is an incoming freshman from Decatur, Ill. At Norcross H.S., the 6-5 forward helped his team to a state championship as a junior. A two-time first-team all-defense selection, Bond picked up all-offense honors as a senior. He also guided Team Huncho to a local championship.
"Samarion is as tough and physical as they come," Vanderslice stated. "I was immediately drawn to how hard he plays on both ends of the floor. His energy and spirit are contagious, and I was extremely impressed with how well he communicates with his teammates throughout the game. On the offensive end his ability to score and create for others will undoubtadly make him hard to guard. Along with good size for his position, he has great footwork and vision that allow him to manufacture driving angles to the rim. Above all, I was attracted to his 'defense and rebounding first' mentality. He doesn't allow opponents to get comfortable and will battle for any loose ball. Needless to say, we are excited about him becoming a part of our family."
German is a 6-10 junior from Lagos, Nigera. He attended Florida Gulf Coast State and led the team in rebounding and blocked shots for two seasons. German accounted for 8.1 points and 6.3 rebounds a game while draining 56.4 percent of his shots as a sophomore. Academically, German made the Dean's List three times.
"We are ecstatic about welcoming Simeon to our program," Vanderslice said. "He comes to us as a battle-tested transfer from Gulf Coast State. He played at a high-level junior college and has been extremely well coached. His size, strength, and motor as a forward are just a few of the strengths I'm excited about him bringing to our team. Offensively, his ability to pass and score will draw immediate attention from Peach Belt opponents. Conversely, he's a ferocious defender with an uncanny ability to chase down loose caroms outside of his area. He's light on his feet and possesses great timing on jumps. His 'buy in' mentality and style of play fit us perfectly and we are elated to have him join our family."
