Former Gamecocks 7-footer signs with new school, and he’ll be close to Columbia
After one year at junior college in Illinois, former South Carolina 7-footer Jason Cudd is coming back to the Palmetto State.
Newberry College announced it had signed the Socastee High School product who spent two seasons in Columbia before transferring in 2019.
In one season at Olney Central College, he averaged 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9.2 minutes a game. He was part of a team that went 24-6 and averaged more than 81 points per game.
As a freshman for Frank Martin, Cudd played in 23 games and averaged 6.8 minutes. A season-ending injury limited him to five games as a sophomore.
Out of high school, Cudd was a three-star recruit, the No. 492 player in his class. He signed with the Gamecocks as part of a class that included David Beatty, Justin Minaya, Felipe Haase and Ibrahim Doumbia. Minaya is the only member of that group still on campus.
His other offers were Western Carolina, Tulane and ECU.
Newberry went 14-15 last season, with a 10-12 record in conference. It is a Division II program.
“Jason will make an immediate impact on our program. He has been slowed the last couple of years with a knee injury, but he’s healthy and feeling great,” Newberry coach Jason Taylor in a statement. “We love throwing the ball in the post, and Jason gives a huge target to throw the ball to down there. He also has the skill and decision-making abilities we look for in a big. I’m happy he wanted to come back to South Carolina to finish his playing career and get his degree.”
Cudd joins Malik Joseph (Simpsonville) and Darin Parker (Aiken) in Newberry’s 2020 class.
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Former Gamecocks 7-footer signs with new school, and he’ll be close to Columbia."
