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Reports: Kent State lands former Maine guard Xavier Pollard

Niels Giffey, Xavier Pollard

Connecticut’s Niels Giffey (5) and Maine’s Xavier Pollard (12) fight for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, in Hartford, Conn., on Friday, Dec. 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Fred Beckham)

AP

Kent State picked up a commitment from one of the top remaining transfers on the market Thursday, with it being reported by multiple outlets that former Maine guard Xavier Pollard has decided to join the Mid-American Conference program.

As a junior Pollard averaged 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game for the Black Bears, who struggled mightily before the decision was made to not retain Ted Woodward as head coach. Pollard played in 24 of Maine’s 29 games in 2013-14, reaching double figures in 21 of those games. He scored a season-high 26 points in a loss at Hartford in January, making 11 of his 18 shot attempts from the field.

Pollard’s expected to have to sit out the 2014-15 season per NCAA transfer rules, and with that in mind he’s a very important addition for head coach Rob Senderoff.

Kent State’s top two returning scorers from last season, guards Kris Brewer (11.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.9 apg) and Derek Jackson (10.7, 3.7, 2.0), will both be seniors next season. Pollard would then be able to slide into the rotation in 2015-16 as Kent State looks to account for the losses of those two guards

Pollard becomes the sixth member of Kent State’s 2014 recruiting class, with the other five players being eligible to play next season. The Golden Flashes, who finished the 2013-14 season with a record of 16-16 (7-11 MAC), will also have Hofstra transfer Jimmy Hall. Hall played in just seven games in 2012-13 before legal issues led to his being dismissed from the Hofstra program.

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