Daschner And Harrell Sign With Bobcats
“I am pleased to sign these two players. They have both had really good years this past season,” said Kaspar.
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State men’s basketball head coach Danny Kaspar announced the first two signings for the 2018 class on Thursday.
Joining the Bobcats for the 2018-19 season will be Akiem Daschner and Mason Harrell.
“I am pleased to sign these two players. They have both had really good years this past season,” said Kaspar.
Harrell is a 5-foot, 9-inch point guard from Midwest City, Oklahoma where he was a four-year starter at Carl Albert High School for coach Jay Price.
The soon to be Bobcat averaged 33.8 points, the most in the Sooner state and shot 54.3 percent from the field, 4.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.4 steals per game as a senior.
His performance on the court, in the classroom and his exemplary character earned him the Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year award. He joined Blake Griffin (Oklahoma), Xavier Henry (Kansas), Shake Milton (SMU) and Trae Young (Oklahoma) in receiving the prestigious honor from the Sooner State.
The TXST signee was also selected as the OKPreps.com and Prep Hoops Oklahoma Player of the Year. Harrell was an Oklahoma Coaches Association Large West All-State selection, named the Suburban Conference Player of the Year for the second straight year and picked to the all-conference first team after his outstanding senior campaign.
Earlier this month he was selected to participate in the Oklahoma Coaches Association annual All-Star game for the Large West team. The game will take place July 26 at the Mabee Center on the campus of Oral Roberts University.
As a junior, Harrell averaged 28.8 ppg, 5.1 apg, 4.1 rpg and 3.2 spg while making 49.7 percent of his shots and 40.3 percent from three-point range. His performance saw him be named The Oklahoman Super 5 Player of the Year and Big All-City team.
Other awards that Harrell has picked up during his illustrious high school career are 2016 The Oklahoman All-State 5A first team and Super 5 second team, 2015 The Oklahoman All-State 5A honorable mention, four-time Titan Classic All-Tournament team selection, three-time Bartlesville Tournament MVP, Ardmore Classic MVP as a junior and sophomore, 2017 Tournament of Champions MVP, named the 2016 OSSAA 5A State Tournament MVP and selected to the 2015 OSSAA 5A All-State Tournament team..
For his high school career, he scored 2,740 points to rank 23rd all-time in the state of Oklahoma. Harrell surpassed 40 points four times during the 2017-18 season.
He scored a career-high 52 points in a 107-50 victory over Ponca City High School on Jan. 11 and match it the next day against Heritage Hall High School. All four years he led the Titans to the state tournament that included capturing the state championship in 2016 and finishing runner-up in 2015.
“Mason is a very dynamic player. He averages 30 points a game in a very efficient way,” Kaspar said. “I had the opportunity to watch him in a crucial game and he impressed me very much with his poise, court awareness and leadership skills.”
Daschner arrives to San Marcos from Ranger College and will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Under the tutelage of former Kentucky and Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie, Daschner averaged a double-double with a team-high 17.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game on his way to earning All-NTJCAC First Team honors in his lone season for the Rangers.
He also paced the team in field goal percentage (57.8), made free throws (120) and free throw attempts (183).
The 6-foot, 7-inch forward’s rebounding averaged ranked 11th in the NJCAA. Overall, he ranked 20th in the country with 296 rebounds. His 104 offensive and 192 defensive boards placed him 27th and 28th, respectively, in the NJCAA.
Daschner recorded 15 double-doubles including five straight to end the season. Three times he grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds that included a 10 offensive board performance at Victoria College on Jan. 4.
Offensively, the Jamaican born student-athlete scored 20 or more points 12 times with four consecutive games to conclude his freshman campaign. Twice he netted 30 points with the first time coming Jan. 27 against Victoria College and the second on Jan. 24 against Temple College.
Prior to playing at RC, the Lake Worth, Florida native attended Pro-Vision Academy in Houston for a year. He graduated from Santaluces High School in Lantana, Florida where he helped lead the Chiefs to a regional semifinals appearance as a junior.
“Akiem plays with great energy and averaged a double-double for Ranger College,” said Kaspar. “I am very happy to say that we will have him for the next three years and we expect great things from him.”
For the latest on Texas State men’s basketball, visit the official website of Texas State athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, follow the team on Twitter at @TxStateMBB and like on Facebook at /TexasStateMensBasketball.
