USC Aiken Adds Three More to Men's Basketball Team

USC Aiken head men’s basketball coach Vince Alexander added three more players to the 2009-10 roster with the signing of Division I transfers Mike Technow and Kyle Cannon along with prep standout Re'mon Nelson.

Technow comes to Aiken from American University and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

“Mike will be a tremendous asset for our basketball program,” remarked Alexander. “He is a tremendous student-athlete who will compete for playing time immediately. His size and athletic ability will help us immensely. We feel that he could be a very explosive player for us and be one of the better players in the Peach Belt Conference in the near future.”

The 6-foot-9 center/power forward played in just four games for American last year, but coming out of Boca Raton High School in Boca Raton, Fla. he was a highly touted prospect.

Technow averaged 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game as a senior at Boca Raton, leading his high school team to an 18-7 record and the No. 1 seed in the tough 6A District of Florida.

Strong in the classroom, Technow graduated 29th in his high school senior class.

Cannon is transferring to USC Aiken from Oklahoma, while Nelson joins the Pacer men’s basketball program out of Canal Winchester High School in Canal Winchester, Ohio. Cannon has two years of eligibility left.

“Both of these players in addition to Byron Faison will help our program to stay at the level that we have played at over the last two seasons,” remarked Alexander.

Cannon played in just nine games last year for the Sooners, averaging 1.9 points per game and 6.8 minutes per game in the nine outings.

Prior to Oklahoma, Cannon was at San Jacinto Junior College for two seasons. During his freshman season the Texas Junior College, Cannon averaged 16.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game en route to all-region honors. His stellar play helped the Ravens to a 23-8 record.

His efforts during his freshman campaign allowed him to enter his sophomore season at San Jacinto as a member of the 2007 National Junior College Athletic Association Preseason All-America first team.

Cannon was injured just four games into his sophomore year. The injury ended his season.

A top 10 Junior College recruit according to Mike Mitchell of Midwest Scouting Service, Cannon chose Oklahoma over Arizona State, Nebraska and South Florida.

The 6-foot-8 forward was described by Mitchell prior to signing with the Sooners as a “very versatile and skilled offensive player … he can score inside and out and a he’s a threat beyond the three-point line.”

Junior College recruiting analyst Jerry Mullen echoed Mitchell’s statements, noting “Kyle’s a very crafty player who can score inside and out. He has a knack for scoring over bigger people and is just a really smart player.”

Prior to his time at San Jacinto and Oklahoma, Cannon attended prep school Worcester (Mass.) Academy for the 2005-06 school year. On a team with five NCAA Division I basketball players, Cannon averaged 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game.

Cannon averaged 17.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game as a senior in high school at Towson Catholic High School in Baltimore, Md.

“Kyle is the type of player that will make an immediate impact not only with our program but in the Peach Belt Conference,” said Alexander. “He is an extremely talented individual who despite his size has the skills of a guard. He is unique in that he can beat you off the dribble or on the block. He is very difficult to defend. He is one of the most talented individuals to enter our program.”

A four-year varsity starter, Nelson scored over 1,000 points in high school. Last year as a senior at Canal Winchester High School, Nelson averaged 16.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. His efforts led to him being named All-Midstate league and All-Central district.

Nelson spent his first three seasons of high school at Harvest Prep. During his junior year in 2006-07, the 5-foot-10 Nelson was tabbed the MSL Player of the Year and to the All-League first team. He was also chosen to the All-Ohio second team after helping his team to a perfect 19-0 regular season record.

“Re’mon is a strong, athletic point who can shoot and take you off of the dribble,” noted Alexander. “He also has a uncanny ability to create shots for his teammates. He is not just an offensive player though as he is also a great defender.”