Basketball Nets Small Forward Transfer Stewart
USC Head Basketball Coach Kevin O’Neill announced today that 6’7” small forward Ari Stewart will transfer to USC and will become eligible for the 2012-13 season.
Stewart averaged 8.5 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per game in 32 games with Wake Forest last season. Stewart was in the starting lineup for half of those games.
“We are really excited about Ari joining us,” said O’Neill. “He is going to have a great year of development during his redshirt year and is going to be a great contributor to our success once he becomes available. He has a tremendous upside as a player and I’m convinced he can raise us to another level.”
Coming out of high school, Stewart was consistently rated as one of the top-10 small forward prospects in the country.
Stewart is yet another player to transfer into the program since Kevin O’Neill took over two seasons ago. Jio Fontan (Fordham) transferred into the program in 2009 and finished the season as the team’s second-leading scorer per game in one semester of play. Aaron Fuller (Iowa) and DeWayne Dedmon (Antelope Valley College) figure to compete for starting spots this fall.
Stewart joins a recruiting class that also includes junior college standouts Greg Allen and James Blasczyk, plus high school recruits Byron Wesley and Alexis Moore.
