By MATT PIKE
Benton big man Mach Mayom has signed to continue his basketball career at one of the best junior college programs in the country, at the one of the oldest universities in Indiana, Vincennes University.
In fact, it was both the history along with the basketball success that made the Trailblazers the right fit for Mayom.
"Kind of like the history, I'm taking the JUCO route, so they're one of the great JUCO programs around, coach (Todd) Franklin out there he's developed a lot of players, they're a winning team, so it's just a winning program that caught my eye," Mayom tells reporters. "And also getting away from town and locking in, I need to do that."
Mayom is joining a strong program in the Trailblazers. Over the last three years alone, Vincennes is 89-12 and has made it to the NJCAA D1 Men's Tournament in each of the years, with two second round exits and one exit in the quarterfinals of the tournament. The Trailblazers have won four NJCAA D1 championships, the most recent coming in 2019.
Mayom was a big contributor for the Cardinals as the team went to back-to-back Final Four appearances. In his senior season, Mayom was a force in the paint pulling down 114 rebounds and scoring 161 points, shooting 61% from the field. Mayom was also named an All District and All State player during his time at Benton as well.
Benton head coach Jared Boone says not only are the Trailblazers getting a good person for their university, they are getting a player that has yet to even crack his full potential.
"You're talking about a kid that's kind of come a long way from the time that I got him, he's been through a lot in his life, he's turned into an amazing young man and I couldn't be more happy for him to have this opportunity to go on and play at the next level," Boone explains. "And then the type of player they're getting, they're getting a kid that is nowhere close to a finished product, his ceiling is so high, there's so many things that he can do that he didn't showcase in his time here that's very underrated and I'm most excited to see that part of him grow."
With that ceiling yet to be cracked, what Mayom says he wants to improve on during his time at Vincennes, to try to get those looks from the next level after his time there is done, is wanting to become more versatile.
"Getting in the post and getting all around, if I can do that I think I'll develop well," Mayom says.
That offensive game is something that Boone says he's also excited to see Mayom grow in at the next level as he continues to grow throughout college.
"He's a very, very unselfish player, a kid his size you would think in most cases they'd be like a black hole when you throw it to them down in the post, he's just the opposite," Boone says. "He's a very good passer, very unselfish player, great teammate, so there were times I would get onto him and tell him you've got to look to score, you turned it over because they're playing for the pass, so just seeing his offensive game grow, his favorite player is Kevin Durant, and so I'm hoping that he gets to live out his dream of being Kevin Durant at the next level, and I'm just excited to see him do that."
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