Kent State receives verbal commitment from St. Vincent-St. Mary guard Lance Hayes
Before departing for Australia on Wednesday, Kent State's men's basketball program added a prized local recruit in St. Vincent-St. Mary standout guard Lance "LA" Hayes.
Hayes verbally committed to join the Golden Flashes via social media Tuesday night. The 6-foot-5 Akron native chose Kent State over Mid-American Conference rivals Toledo, Western Michigan and Akron.
Hayes has helped the Fighting Irish capture back-to-back Division II state championships. He averaged nearly 13 points, four rebounds and two assists as a junior in 2021-22.
Hayes was a major contributor on both ends of the floor for St. Vincent-St. Mary, and it showed in the 2022 state title game victory over Gates Mills Gilmour Academy. Hayes stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, six rebounds, four steals, three assists and a block as the Fighting Irish cruised to a convincing 63-35 win.
Hayes joins 6-8 Westerville Central forward Donovan Hunter as 2023 verbal commitments for the Flashes. They can officially join the program during the early signing period in November.
The Flashes will play three exhibition games during a 10-day trip to Australia that runs through Aug. 13.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Lance Hayes has agreed to join the Kent State men's basketball program
