The Slippery Rock University men’s and women’s basketball welcome three players to their teams this year from Harford Community College in Harford County, Maryland. Junior Aaron McDonald and sophomore Micah Till join the men’s team while sophomore Kasch Harris joins the women’s team.
Women’s basketball head coach Bobby McGraw said that Harris has suffered a knee injury and will “likely” be out for the entirety of the season. Kasich, who McGraw said was unable to comment, averaged 4.5 points per game during the 2015-2016 season but ended up sitting out the 2016-2017 season. Although Harris will likely be out for a portion of the season, McGraw said she brings “enthusiasm” to her team and will be a force for The Rock next season, if not later this year.
McGraw, leading a team that is coming off a disappointing 9-19 season last year, said that Harris’ background playing basketball was a main reason to why he tried to get her to play here.
“Harris played on one of the top five community colleges in the nation and on the number one ranked high school team in the nation,” McGraw said.
For the men’s team, McDonald and Till join a team that finished one game below .500 (14-15) last season. Last year, McDonald and Till helped lead the Harford Community College Fighting Owls to a 24-8 record and a trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) District championship, where they were ultimately defeated by Monroe College by a final score of 55-57. McDonald recorded 396 points (12.4 per game) last season and collected 33 steals and 112 rebounds. Till recorded 504 points (16.3 per game) and shot just over 40 percent from the field.
The duo said that they both had offers from other Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) schools but head coach Kevin Reynolds and assistant coach Ian Grady ultimately “swayed” their decision to come to The Rock.
“Reynolds and Grady both gave me the option to come play here and play through me a little bit,” Till said. “Because they play through the power forward spot, which is the position I play, I thought it was a good option for me.”
McDonald and Till both believe they can bring a lot of talent and dedication to the team this year. The connection that McDonald and Till already have together will help The Rock this year, Till said.
McDonald and Till both recognize and have experienced the adjustment that comes with transferring to a Division II school like Slippery Rock. But both said they’re prepared.
“Before even going to Harford Community College, I played one season of football at North Carolina State University,” Till said. “I was already kind of use to a bigger campus. Going from football to basketball has honestly been the biggest challenge.”
McDonald said one of the biggest adjustments for him is the fact that he was one of the bigger guards playing in the NJCAA.
“Coming to the PSAC, where everyone is bigger or just as big as me will definitely be something I have to get used to,” he said.
McDonald, Till and Harris all know each other, with McDonald and Harris being “good friends,” McDonald explained. But, since Harris sat out last season, McDonald and Till said they didn’t know that she would be transferring to SRU as well, McDonald and Till said.
With the 2017-2018 season about to begin, both the men’s and women’s team will hope to have these transfers have a positive impact on their season. The men, who have already played in one exhibition game, losing 71-51 against the University of Pittsburgh, will travel to Glenville, West Virginia this weekend to take part in the Jakobi’s Journey Basketball Classic.
Also this weekend, the women will travel to Richmond, Virginia to take part in the PSAC-CIAA Challenge.
