CHARLESTON, S.C. – Former Citadel men’s basketball player Matt Frierson became the 15th Bulldog to join the professional basketball ranks over the weekend as he signed his first international professional basketball contract Friday. Frierson signed with Campo Mourão Basquete out of Brazil.
“I am excited about my first international professional opportunity,” Frierson said. “The Citadel played a big part in preparing me for this chance and I am excited to represent my school and family at the next level.”
Frierson joins former teammate Lew Stallworth (BC Zaporizhya, Ukraine) as well as Cameron Wells (S. Oliver Wurzburg, Germany), Tom Koopman (Mola di Bari, Italy), Morakinyo Williams (TGE, Thailand) and Joe Wolfinger (Gifu Swoops, Japan) as former Bulldogs currently playing in the professional ranks around the world.
“We are really excited for Matt and that all of his hard work is finally paying off,” said head coach Duggar Baucom. “We wish him lots of success in this first professional opportunity for him and the rest of his professional career.”
Campo Mourão Basquete is a member of the CBC League, the second-highest professional league in Brazil. The team is based out of Campo Mourão, Paraná, which is located near the southern-most tip of the country. The team will begin action in the Brazilian Basketball Championship on March 20.
Since graduating from The Citadel in May 2019, Frierson has been playing with the Baltimore Hawks, a semi-professional basketball team in the American Basketball Association (ABA), which was founded in 1999. The Hawks currently sit atop the Mid-Atlantic North Division standings with an 8-1 overall record, including a 7-1 record in division play.
Frierson wrapped up his career at The Citadel first in program history, and sixth in Southern Conference, history with 324 career made 3-pointers. He became the 34th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark for his career and ranks 22nd in program history with 1,148 career points.
The Laurel, Maryland, native ended his collegiate career with the top two single-season 3-point performances in program history, including the program record (114) as a junior and the second-most (104) as a senior. As a senior in 2018-19, he was the only player in all NCAA Division I (min. 20 attempts) to remain perfect at the charity stripe, going 44-for-44.
Frierson ended his senior campaign tied for eighth in NCAA Division I with an average of 3.59 made 3-pointers per game and tied for 31st with 104 converted treys. He ranked third in the Southern Conference for 3-pointers made per game and 18th in scoring average (12.5 ppg).
Following the 2017-18 season, Frierson was named the 6th Man of the Year for the SoCon by HoopsHD.com.
Frierson was a three-time Southern Conference Honor Roll recipient (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19) as well as a two-time Academic All-SoCon honoree (Spring 2018, Spring 2019). Following the 2017-18 season, he earned the Southern Conference Commissioner’s Medal and was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court.