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CITY, N.D. (VCSU) – The Valley City State University men’s basketball team added another inside presence to the roster this week.

Head coach Jeff Kaminsky announced today that Avion Ashford, a 6-foot-6 forward from North Central Missouri College, has signed a letter of intent to attend classes at VCSU and play for the Vikings starting this fall.

A native of St. Louis, Mo., Ashford played the past two seasons at North Central Missouri, which posted a 22-7 record last season. Ashford was not a huge scorer for North Central, but brings high energy and athleticism to the court.

“His ability to run the floor, rebound, and be a versatile defender will be a great fit with VCSU basketball,” said Kaminsky. “He’s a player who makes high percentage decisions combined with size and athletic ability. I am excited to have him in our program and look forward to his success on and off the court.”

Ashford averaged 3.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore, and 6.6 points and 5.9 rebounds as a freshman. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at VCSU.

“Avion Ashford was a high character kid for us both on and off the court and a fan favorite for how well he could run the floor and finish at the rim,” said Jeremy Esry, assistant coach at North Central Missouri. “Avion improved tremendously for us over the last two years but still has yet to even come close to reaching his potential. He has the ability to cause mismatches at the post position both on offense and defense because of his length and athleticism. Avion was a huge reason for all of our success the last two years, and we are very excited to see him move on and continue that success at Valley City.”

Ashford is the son of Contessa Ashford. He graduated from University City High School in St. Louis, and plans to major in criminal justice while at Valley City State University.

Valley City State University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the North Star Athletic Association conference. The Vikings open the 2015 season Oct. 24 with a home game against Oglala Lakota College.