By AARON BRACY
April 22, 2024
Big5Hoops.com
Drexel needed a point guard after Justin Moore’s departure in the transfer portal, and coach Zach Spiker picked up a commitment on Monday night from 6-foot-3 guard Kevon Vanderhorst from Raleigh, N.C.
This past season, Vanderhorst averaged 13.0 points, 4.4 assists and 3.6 rebounds as a freshman at Brunswick Community College in Bolivia, N.C.
Vanderhorst said he also was drawing interest from Georgia Southern, ECU, Elon, Western Carolina, Samford, Coastal Carolina. He liked the culture Spiker has built at Drexel.
“It’s something that’s unbeatable,” Vanderhorst told Big5Hoops on Monday night. “The locker room is a good place to be, and when I got there they treated me like family. So, it’s a no-brainer. That’s where I belonged.
“They treat you like family, that’s the best way I could put it. You could tell they really want to get to know you on a personal level, not just a player level. They’re also going to coach you, too. You can definitely get a feel for that.”
At 6-foot-3, Vanderhorst brings good size to University City. Spiker likely will lean on him to help fill the void for Moore, who transferred to Loyola-Chicago after averaging 12.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists in an excellent freshman season in 2023-24.
Vanderhorst described his game as someone who likes to get out in transition and find his teammates.
“I’m a downhill, attacking guard, get to the paint, get to my spots,” he said. “I love finding my teammates. I’m a very unselfish player. When I get out in transition, it’s a show.
“I want to come in, be a ball-handler, find my teammates and really win championships.”
He enjoyed his recent visit to Philly, just his second time in the City of Brotherly Love.
“Cool guys,” Vanderhorst said of Dragons Yame Butler, Shane Blakeney, Kobe MaGee and Garfield Turner, whom he interacted with on campus. “You could tell they’ve been around each other for a long time. I felt their chemistry, I felt how they played off each other and I think I fit right in.”
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. His byline regularly appears on Associated Press stories. Big5Hoops.com is his second website dedicated to Philadelphia college basketball. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages.