Saint Louis’ men’s basketball roster expanded Thursday, as head coach Travis Ford announced the addition of three players for the 2018-19 season.
The newcomers are freshman KC Hankton (Charlotte, North Carolina) and graduate transfers Tramaine Isabell (Seattle, Washington/Drexel) and Dion Wiley (Oxon Hill, Maryland/Maryland). Hankton has four years of eligibility, while Isabell and Wiley are eligible immediately for their one season as graduate transfers.
“We are excited to welcome KC, Tramaine and Dion to the Billiken family,” Ford said. “All three will work well in our system and will be valued members of Team Blue. KC fits how we play, and in Tramaine and Dion we have experienced guards who fill needs for us.”
Hankton, a 6-foot-8 forward, prepped at United Faith Christian Academy in Charlotte where he was a 1A North Carolina Independent Schools’ All-State selection. Last season, he averaged a double-double with 16.0 ppg and 12.0 rpg. Additionally, he averaged 5.0 apg, 2.0 spg and 2.0 bpg. Hankton played for Team United AAU on the Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit.
“I am excited about the future with KC,” Ford said. “He has an incredible upside. For his size at 6-8, KC is an extremely skilled basketball player and athlete. He can really shoot it, can put the ball on the floor, and has a great feel for the game.”
Isabell, a 6-foot-1 guard, transfers to Saint Louis after playing one season at Drexel. He led the Dragons with 21.0 ppg and topped all Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) guards with 7.1 rpg. Isabell began his collegiate career at Missouri, playing two seasons from 2014 to 2016. He scored 4.1 ppg as a freshman and 6.2 ppg his sophomore season with the Tigers. Isabell declared for the 2018 NBA Draft but did not hire an agent.
“Tramaine is a very talented basketball player who has proven that he can score at the highest level,” Ford said. “He has the ability to score in a lot of different ways. Tramaine is a true competitor who simply wants to win.”
Wiley, a 6-foot-5 guard, comes to SLU after four seasons (including a redshirt year) at Maryland. He appeared in 83 games (18 starts) for the Terrapins, averaging 4.4 ppg while shooting better than 35 percent from the arc. Last season, Wiley posted career highs of 5.8 ppg and 36 3-pointers while shooting 36.7 percent from long range. Out of high school, Wiley was ranked the 52nd recruit in the nation by ESPN. He helped his high school team, Potomac, to a Maryland state title and played AAU ball with Team Takeover.
“Dion has great experience who has played at a very high level,” Ford said. “He is a big-time shooter with great size. Dion has experienced some injuries in his career, but we look forward to him being 100 percent healthy and potentially one of the top shooters in the country.”
