DURHAM, N.H. — University of New Hampshire men's basketball coach Bill Herrion announced Friday that transfer Marco Foster (Lancaster, Texas) and incoming freshman A.J. Lopez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) have joined the program.
"We are really happy to add both Marco and A.J. to our basketball program," Herrion said. "We really like the team we have coming back next season, but we felt an area that we had to improve upon in order to take the next step in our continued pursuit of an America East championship is perimeter shooting –especially from 3-point distance."
Marco Foster launches a 3-pointer for Oklahoma Christian during the 2020-21 season
Foster, who will have four years of eligibility, fits the bill after leading the Division 2 Lone Star Conference with 62 made 3-pointers last season, which tied for No. 1 among all D-2 freshmen, at Oklahoma Christian University. In 18 games, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound guard averaged 15.4 points/game, which ranked second on the team, and his 3.44 3-pointers/game were No. 1 in the conference and No. 8 in the country. He tallied a season-high 29 points on nine 3s against Arkansas Fort Smith. As a senior at Lancaster High School in 2019-20, Foster averaged 15.6 points, 2.8 steals and 2.4 assists while hitting 45.9 percent (107 of 233) beyond the arc.
A.J. Lopez releases a foul-line jumper for Mount Zion Prep during 2020-21 season
Lopez demonstrated his 3-point prowess last season at Mount Zion Prep in Lanham, Md., by hitting 45-percent from distance and averaging 16.1 points/game. During his senior season at Schoolhouse Prep in Miami, Fla., the 6-foot-5, 175-pound guard enjoyed a breakout campaign that included per-game averages of 20.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He was named team MVP and made the All-Dade County Second Team. Lopez previously starred at St. Francis Prep in Queens, N.Y., where he was named to the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens All-Star First Team after averaging 18 points/game as a junior. As a sophomore, Lopez's 14 points/game resulted in a berth on the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens All-Star Second Team.
"Along with [George Washington University transfer] Sloan Seymour, we feel that Marco and AJ will add to our depth and help continue our pursuit of winning a championship and getting to the NCAA tournament, which is our ultimate goal in our program," Herrion added.
About UNH Basketball
The UNH men's basketball team earned the No. 3 seed in the 2021 Hercules Tires America East Men's Basketball Playoffs, which was the program's best tournament seed since 1995. The Wildcats won three of their last four regular-season games and finished 10-9 on the season and 9-6 in AE action. Redshirt freshman Nick Johnson (Bronx, N.Y.) won the America East Rookie of the Year award, and junior Jayden Martinez (Cibolo, Texas) was voted to the All-Conference First Team.
.png&type=webp)
