Mercer Lands Versatile Transfer from West Virginia
5/15/2018 9:22:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Maciej Bender to enroll at Mercer
MACON, Ga. – Maciej Bender, a former highly-regarded men's basketball prep star that played two seasons at West Virginia University, is transferring to Mercer and will join Head Coach Bob Hoffman's program.
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Bender, a 6-11, 250-pound power forward, appeared in 35 games with one start for West Virginia in 2017-18 as the Mountaineers finished 26-11 and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 before losing to eventual NCAA Champion Villanova. Bender averaged 1.2 points and 1.9 rebounds for the Mountaineers this past season. He appeared in 23 games in 2016-17, averaging 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds.
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A native of Warsaw, Poland, Bender was a highly-touted high school recruit while starring at Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Va., where he played for current Mercer assistant Paul Mrozik. Tabbed a four-star recruit by ESPN, Bender averaged 10.8 points and 7.0 rebounds his senior season which saw Mountain Mission School finish with a 29-8 record and rank among the nation's elite programs. A 1,000-point career scorer in high school, Bender was ranked a Top 25 European prospect according to Eurohopes.com Scouting Service. He was a member of the Polish U16, U18, and U20 National Teams and is currently under consideration for the Polish Senior Team and will be involved with that squad's training camp this summer. In the summer of 2015, Bender was invited to the prestigious NBA Basketball Without Borders camp for top European prospects.
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"We're extremely thrilled to have Maciej join our program," Hoffman said. "He will be a tremendous addition in every phase of the game. He has an amazing skill set that allows him to pass, dribble and shoot the ball at a very high level for a player his size. I believe he will fit in extremely well with our team and provide us with tremendous upside in virtually all areas."
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"Maciej is an exceptionally skilled big man who can do a lot of things on the court," Mrozik added. "He has a great ability to put the ball on the floor and has a nice shooting touch from both inside and outside. He has very quick feet for a player his size and has a very high basketball IQ. Maciej has the ability to see the floor, pass the ball and is an extremely efficient big man."
Follow the BearsÂ
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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Bender, a 6-11, 250-pound power forward, appeared in 35 games with one start for West Virginia in 2017-18 as the Mountaineers finished 26-11 and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 before losing to eventual NCAA Champion Villanova. Bender averaged 1.2 points and 1.9 rebounds for the Mountaineers this past season. He appeared in 23 games in 2016-17, averaging 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds.
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A native of Warsaw, Poland, Bender was a highly-touted high school recruit while starring at Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Va., where he played for current Mercer assistant Paul Mrozik. Tabbed a four-star recruit by ESPN, Bender averaged 10.8 points and 7.0 rebounds his senior season which saw Mountain Mission School finish with a 29-8 record and rank among the nation's elite programs. A 1,000-point career scorer in high school, Bender was ranked a Top 25 European prospect according to Eurohopes.com Scouting Service. He was a member of the Polish U16, U18, and U20 National Teams and is currently under consideration for the Polish Senior Team and will be involved with that squad's training camp this summer. In the summer of 2015, Bender was invited to the prestigious NBA Basketball Without Borders camp for top European prospects.
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"We're extremely thrilled to have Maciej join our program," Hoffman said. "He will be a tremendous addition in every phase of the game. He has an amazing skill set that allows him to pass, dribble and shoot the ball at a very high level for a player his size. I believe he will fit in extremely well with our team and provide us with tremendous upside in virtually all areas."
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"Maciej is an exceptionally skilled big man who can do a lot of things on the court," Mrozik added. "He has a great ability to put the ball on the floor and has a nice shooting touch from both inside and outside. He has very quick feet for a player his size and has a very high basketball IQ. Maciej has the ability to see the floor, pass the ball and is an extremely efficient big man."
Follow the BearsÂ
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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