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USC basketball: Trojans announce signing of Iowa transfer Aaron Fuller

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Aaron Fuller, an All-Big Ten honorable mention forward at Iowa, has signed with USC as a transfer and will redshirt this coming season, the Trojans announced Tuesday morning.

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Signing Fuller, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound sophomore who averaged 9.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in 30 games for the Hawkeyes this past season, gives USC an veteran inside presence for the future. He will have two years of eligibility remaining after sitting out.

‘We are very excited to have Aaron at USC,’ Coach Kevin O’Neill said in a statement. ‘He is going to be a tremendous asset to us on and off the court. We love his tenacity, hard work and desire to get better.’

Fuller asked to be released in early April, marking the fourth consecutive season that Iowa lost one of its two players from the previous season that had eligibility remaining. His departure came shortly after Iowa fired coach Todd Lickliter after a 10-22 season and replaced him with former Siena Saints coach Fran McCaffery.

But Fuller said by phone that his move to USC was largely because he wanted to be ‘closer to home.’ He is from Mesa, Ariz. He added, ‘I felt like this season never went the way I wanted it to. I felt like I needed a change.’

Fuller said his decision was between USC and Arizona State, but he liked O’Neill in the end.

Of USC, he said, it’s ‘definitely a big-time program, definitely closer to home so my family can come see me. I figured it’s also a great opportunity for me to expand my game.’

Fuller led Iowa in scoring (12.3 points) and rebounding (7.6 rebounds) in 18 Big Ten Conference games last season. He had five double-doubles during Big Ten play and led the conference in offensive rebounds per game (3.4). He scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a double-overtime game against Michigan in February.

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Fuller described his game this way: ‘I’m very versatile. I can post up smaller defenders. I can take guys off the dribble. I’m pretty good at rebounding. I can create match-up problems.’

-- Baxter Holmes

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