TCC basketball duo moves on to four-year programs
Special to the Outlook
The following highlights on basketball players Daivon Stephens and Eric Hester are part of a series of Stepping Stones profiles featuring student-athletes who have enrolled and are participating in four-year level programs.
Stephens signed a national letter of intent with Coastal Carolina University.
Stephens, who hails from Pittsburgh, Pa., began his collegiate career at Eastern Michigan University, where he averaged 1.3 points and 0.8 rebounds in 15 games as a freshman.
Following the 2018-19 season, he transferred to Tallahassee and became a key player in the Eagles’ run to the 2020 Panhandle Conference Championship. He played in all 33 games, averaging 4.8 points and 4.2 rebounds.
Stephens earned a trio of All-Academic honors in 2020, most notably All-Academic Third-team recognition by the NJCAA. He was also named All-Academic by both the FCSAA and the Panhandle Conference.
Photos by Greg Rowland
Located in Conway, S.C., Coastal Carolina competes in the Sun Belt Conference.
Hester signed a national letter of intent with Prairie View A&M University. Like many of his teammates who also signed during the spring’s late signing period, Hester made his decision sight unseen, due to the impact COVID-19 pandemic had on official recruiting visits.
Hester, a 6-foot-3 guard from Clearwater, Fla., joined the Eagles in 2019 after stops at the University of Florida and the University of Akron.
Hester played in 20 games as a freshman for the Gators in 2016-17 but redshirted at Akron and never suited up for the Zips. Once in Tallahassee, he thrived on the hardwood.
Helping the Eagles to the 2020 Panhandle Conference Championship, Hester appeared in 33 games, averaging 8.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and an almost identical 46.7 percent from three-point range. As a reward for his efforts, Hester was named First-team All-Panhandle Conference.
He also provided one of the memorable moments during 2019-20 season, knocking down a game-winning three at the buzzer to beat Andrew (Ga.) College on Nov. 11, 2019.
Off the court, Hester earned All-Academic honors from both the FCSAA and the Panhandle Conference.
