USC Aiken Finishes Recruiting Class With Addition of Two Recruits

AIKEN, S.C. – University of South Carolina Aiken head men’s basketball coach Vince Alexander announced his final two incoming players for his 2009-10 signing class on Tuesday with the addition of Sammy Obetoh and Ronald Zimmerman.

Obetoh will be transferring to play for the Pacers from Maryland Eastern Shore, while Zimmerman will be the second true incoming freshman out of Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C. Obetoh will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Obetoh and Zimmerman become the fifth and sixth players who have signed up to suit up for USC Aiken in the 2009-10 season. Obetoh is the fourth NCAA Division I transfer for the Pacers, joining former Winthrop guard Byron Faison, Oklahoma forward Kyle Cannon and American forward/center Mike Technow. Zimmerman will be joined by another true freshman in Re’Mon Nelson out of Canal Winchester High School in Canal Winchester, Ohio.

“Sammy is a very athletic kid who can score both inside and out,” said Alexander. “He can also rebound and defend very well. He will give us depth and more importantly will fit in nicely within our system.”

A 6-foot-7, 200-pound forward, Obetoh played in 17 games for the Hawks in the 2008-09 season as a freshman. He started one of the 17 games.

Obetoh averaged 3.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in 9.7 minutes per outing with the Hawks in the 2008-09 campaign.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Obetoh graduated from Washington Irving High School.

Obetoh, who won numerous most valuable player and sportsmanship awards in tournaments he played in preparation for college basketball, averaged 27 points per game in high school.

Obetoh also averaged 19 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game playing for the Boy’s Club of New York.

A three-year varsity player, Zimmerman scored over 1,000 points for Spring Valley en route to making the South Carolina all-state team as a senior. A 6-foot guard, Zimmerman averaged 22.8 points per game as a senior.

A North/South All-Star team member, Zimmerman was chosen as his high school region Player of the Year and most valuable player for Spring Valley in the 2008-09 season. He also made the region all-area team.

“Ronald is a very explosive offensive player,” noted Alexander. “He is a natural scorer that can really shoot the basketball. He will help us tremendously over the coming years.”