July 1, 2010
DAVIS, Calif. - Harrison DuPont, a 6-foot-5 transfer guard from The Citadel who was selected to All-Southern Conference (SoCon) Freshman teams by both the coaches and media, has signed a financial aid agreement with UC Davis and will join the Aggie men's basketball team this fall, it was announced by head coach Gary Stewart on Thursday.
DuPont, a 2009 graduate from Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, Okla., will sit out this upcoming season due to NCAA transfer rules but will have three years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2011-12 campaign.
DuPont joins the Aggies after starting 16 of 18 conference games for The Citadel last season, averaging 8.3 ppg., 5.4 rpg., during league games. He finished the year with a team-high tying 12 blocks while shooting 47.9 percent from the floor.
DuPont reached double figures in six SoCon games including tallying a career-high 18 at Elon on Feb. 13 and highlighting his year with 12 points and 11 rebounds against Western Carolina. He averaged 12.1 points over the final 10 games of the season.
DuPont was the valedictorian of his senior class at Carl Albert High School, helping lead his team to the 2007 Oklahoma 5A State Championship as a sophomore while also earning MVP honors at the state tournament. He averaged 22.1 ppg. and 9.3 rebounds as a senior and was named the 7th-rated prep prospect in Oklahoma after ending his career with more than 1,200 points, 700 rebounds and 150 blocked shots.
DuPont, nominated to the 2009 McDonald's High School All-America team, was also a member of the National High School Honor Society.
"Harrison embodies everything we look for in a student-athlete," said Gary Stewart. "He is an outstanding student, his character is beyond reproach and his basketball ability and competitive drive translates very well to a successful collegiate program.
"He is a very difficult matchup and is equally adept on the inside and from the perimeter," Stewart added. "The Big West Conference always has several excellent players from 6-4 to 6-7 in the paint and it's imperative if you wish to compete for a championship that you must have a dynamic player his size."
DuPont joins a highly regarded Aggie recruiting class that already features incoming freshmen Mike Kurtz (C, 7-0, 205, Roseville, Calif./.Woodcreek HS), Alex Tiffin (F, 6-9, 200, Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks HS), Josh Ritchart (F, 6-9, 210, Auburn, Calif./Forest Lake Christian School) and Tyler Les (G, 6-2, 180, Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame HS).
UC Davis earned a top-10 recruiting class ranking among mid-major programs in November from ESPNU. This year's recruits each enjoyed outstanding senior years.
Kurtz helped lead Woodcreek HS to Sierra League and section championships while earning All-Sierra League first-team honors. He also played in the Sacramento Optimist All-Star game and earned selection to the National Honors Society.
Ritchart was a 2010 McDonald's All-America nominee while also earning selection to All-Central League, All-CIF Div. V and 2010 ESPN All-State teams. He was MVP of the Sacramento Optimist All-Star game as well. Ritchart received the A. Dale Lackey Scholarship from the CIF and is a member of the California Scholarship Federation (CSF).
Tiffin, another nominee to McDonald's All-America team, received selection to several postseason teams including the All-CIF Div. V, 2010 ESPN All-State, All-Ventura County and Daily News All-Area squads. He was also selected Co-MVP of the Marmonte League and played in a pair of postseason all-star contests.
Les, who signed his National Letter of Intent with UC Davis in May, played in the Illinois vs. Indiana (IBCA) All-Star game last weekend, scoring 18 points while nailing all four of this three-point attempts.
