Tom Weber – Southern Illinois University Media Services

CARBONDALE, IL  — Southern Illinois men’s basketball coach Barry Hinson announced the program has signed a pair of junior college transfers — guard Eric McGill and center Kavion Pippen — to bring an immediate infusion of court-ready talent for the 2017-18 season.

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, McGill (6-3, 185) played his freshman season in 2016 at SEMO, where he saw action in 27 games and averaged 7.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He made 13 starts for the Redhawks and shot 32 percent from 3-point range. In 2017, McGill played for Panola College, where he averaged 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists per contest. He shot 39 percent from 3-point.

“This is a young man who has played Division I basketball and who scored 20 points in a game against Murray State as a freshman,” Hinson said. “We felt like we needed to add an athletic guard who can not only pass, dribble and shoot, but who can get to the rim. We wanted a guard who realized the importance of being unselfish and distributing the basketball.”

Panola College, which is located in Carthage, Texas, finished the season 26-9 and won the NJCAA Region 14 North Division. McGill was named honorable mention All-Conference. The Ponies advanced to the NJCAA tournament, where McGill was named to the Region 14 All-Tournament team. He gives SIU two Panola College alums, joining senior Jonathan Wiley, who transferred to Southern last spring. Assistant coach Brad Autry was the lead recruiter on both players.

Hinson said next year’s team will have multiple options at the point guard position, including Saint Louis transfer Marcus Bartley, sophomore Aaron Cook, and McGill.

“I’ve always said, if we could ever get to a point in a basketball game where we play three point guards at one time, and you can find these guys with any size and length, that’s what your ideal basketball team would look like,” according to Hinson. “My thought process is we don’t put numbers on our kids. We don’t want to put limitations on them.”

If the name Pippen sounds familiar, that’s because Kavion is the nephew of NBA great Scottie Pippen. A native of Hamburg, Arkansas, Kavion is also the cousin of one of SIU’s all-time great volleyball players, Taylor Pippen. 

“Taylor was a wonderful ambassador for our university,” Hinson said. “She was able to draw upon her family relationship with Kavion. This was a great example of how a sport crossed lines to help another sport. She was just wonderful.”

The 6-foot-10, 220-pound pivot played in 27 games and made 17 starts for Three Rivers Community College last season. Located in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Three Rivers finished 25-8 and advanced to the NJCAA District 4 playoffs. Pippen averaged 10.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots per game. 

“I go to church on Sunday and I’ve got everybody asking me if we’ve got a big man yet,” Hinson joked. “We had a specific need on the interior. We feel like this young man can come in and contribute immediately and make an impact on our program.”

Assistant coach Anthony Beane, who himself played at Three Rivers for head coach Gene Bess, was the lead recruiter on Pippen. 

“We haven’t had a guy in our program in a long time, a true center, that can play with his back to the basket, can defend and score around the basket,” Hinson said. “We think Kavion’s upside is absolutely incredible.”

SIU returns eight lettermen and three starters — Armon Fletcher, Sean Lloyd and Thik Bol — from last year’s team that finished 17-16, but must replace the production of its top two scorers and assist leaders in Mike Rodriguez and Sean O’Brien. The composition of the 2017-18 roster is brimming with upperclassmen — three seniors, seven juniors, one sophomore and one freshman on scholarship. Five of the 10 upperclassmen are transfers from either a junior college or four-year institution.

“With the mass transfer exodus that’s gone on in college basketball in recent years, we’ve really put a heavy emphasis on junior college players,” Hinson said.