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It took some time, but Larry Eustachy completed his first full recruiting class with the addition of North Carolina Central player Stanton Kidd. Kidd will be the sixth and final player of 2013 class joining Carlton Hurst, David Cohn, Marcus Holt, J.J Avila, and Dantiel Daniels.
At 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, Kidd averaged 14.5 points and 6.9 rebounds playing at the forward position during his one year with the Eagles. He will have one year to play wih the Rams after sitting out the 2013-2014 per NCAA transfer rules.
Before playing for NC Central his junior season, Kidd spent time at South Plains College in Texas where he produced 11.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game on the way to a NJCAA championship. This season he was the third leading scorer in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference; but he can also score against tougher opponents. In contests against NCAA tournament teams, Witchita State and Marquette, Kidd scored 22 and 18 points, respectively.
Kidd explains why he chose the Rams as his transfer destination:
“I wanted to get more exposure so I can have a better shot playing with top competition,” Kidd said. “It’s not that the MEAC isn’t good competition, 15-9 in the MEAC is OK, but you won’t get recognized much by scouts. If you go 15-9 in the Mountain West, that’s a lot better. There are a lot of pro guys who have come from the Mountain West, plus the conference sends four or five teams to the NCAA tournament.”
Take that how you will, but he also says this of his year sitting out and how it will affect his schoolwork.
“It will be nice to finish up my major and then give all of my heart to basketball,” he said. “I love studying the mind and how it works. In terms of basketball, as a player, do I pull up for the 3 or drive to the basket? What makes you shoot that pull-up 3 when you know you could have gotten to the basket? More importantly, I want to do it for the kids. I really want to work with children and be able to help them.”
Kidd is an efficient scorer with a shooting percentage of 55.3% and makes 37.3% of the threes he takes. His scoring comes from a mix of layups, pull up mid-range jumpers, and outside shots.
For highlights of his season at North Carolina Central watch below.