‘I’m coming home’: Harvard’s Bryce Aiken announces he will transfer to Seton Hall
"Seton Hall, I am Home."
Harvard point guard Bryce Aiken will take his talents to Seton Hall next season.
The 6-foot senior, who averaged 16.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists for the Crimson in the seven games he appeared in last season, announced via Instagram on Thursday that he would be making the move back to his home state of New Jersey to become a Pirate.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-xINGQHhjb/
“Home is my happy place,” he wrote in the caption. “Home is where my heart is. Home is where my story began and Home is where my story will continue. Seton Hall, I am Home. #HallIn“
Aiken will bring a strong offensive skill set and leadership to Seton Hall, both of which he showcased while at Harvard. His junior year, he averaged 22.2 points and 2.6 assists, helping bring the team to the Ivy League tournament final and scoring 38 points in a loss to Yale. Before he suffered a foot injury that kept him out, he dropped 30 points this season in an 80-73 loss to Maryland.
Aiken told 247Sports that his relationship with Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard – whom he has known since his freshman year of high school – was a critical factor in deciding where he wanted to play next. He said choosing to transfer to Seton Hall was a “no-brainer,” and despite not committing to them in high school, he was not “going to let the opportunity pass for a second time.”
Aiken picked them over Michigan, Maryland and Iowa State – and he will be eligible to compete next season.
“As a kid I always dreamt of representing not only my family and friends, but the state of New Jersey on a national stage,” he said. “I have the utmost belief in coach [Kevin] Willard along with my teammates that I’ll be taking the court with. Hopefully I can help Seton Hall sustain that level of success that they’ve become accustomed to…Honestly, it turned out to be the determining factor.”
“My familiarity with the program and the coaching staff was paramount in my decision,” Aiken also told The New York Post. “I was able to rekindle a relationship and reconnect with coach Willard. It almost felt like I had been playing under him the past four years in some of our conversations, to be honest with you. Just having a good relationship with my coach means the world to me.”
He’s looking forward to joining his new team, and is confident in his ability to make an impact.
“I have the ultimate confidence in my own ability,” he said. “But you know, you can’t play basketball by yourself. I’m super-excited to join the guys that are already there. They have a super-strong foundation and are coming off another winning season, so I’ll certainly have support from them…There’s no doubt I can sustain the level of success that I’ve been able to achieve throughout my college experience thus far and continue Seton Hall’s winning ways.”
His new teammate and good friend, Myles Powell, welcomed him on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/BryceAiken/status/1248320489136816131
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