Pawtucket’s Bans off to Fla. Southern

Shea grad leaving Bryant to play at D-II powerhouse

PAWTUCKET — For Erickson Bans, a fresh start and a clean slate on the college basketball front awaits in the Sunshine State.

The Pawtucket native and Shea High alum confirmed that he’s heading to Division II Florida Southern College. The R.I. Interscholastic League’s all-time leading scorer brings three years of eligibility to his Lakeland, Fla.-based school, one that finished 19-9 this past season. Bans visited Florida Southern last week and came away impressed with the vision that was laid out as he seeks to get his basketball career back on track following an up-and-down threeyear tenure at Bryant University.

“It’s all good,” Bans told the Call/Times one night earlier this week.

Closing the books on his Bryant career came after Bans went from serving as a key reserve for head coach Jared Grasso during his freshman (2020-21) and sophomore seasons (202122) to redshirting this past season. It was midway through the 2022-23 campaign when it was learned that Bans would be moving on from the Bulldogs after appearing in 48 career games.

Knowing how the recruiting process works proved to be an asset as Bans mapped out his next course of action. Setting foot on the Florida Southern campus provided the guard who’s listed at 5-foot-11 with the necessary clarity to the point where Bans could see himself hooping it up for the Moccasins.

“I’m looking forward to a new start. Being away from home, you have more hunger to play basketball and achieve what your goals are.”

— Erickson Bans

“You just can’t commit to any school. You have to go down and see the campus and meet people … see the type of environment you’re going to be in for however long you’re going to be in college,” said Bans, who will be eligible for next season per the NCAA’s one-time transfer rule.

In talking specifically about his role with Florida Southern head coach Mike Donnelly, Bans understood that plenty of opportunities await to have the ball in his hands as a combo guard. The new day that awaits at his new college won’t feature Bans needing to introduce himself to everyone. Current Florida Southern assistant coach Luke St. Lifer spent three seasons (2018-19 & 2020-21, 2021-22) on Grasso’s staff at Bryant.

Currently, Bans says the focus involves finishing up strong academically at Bryant before turning the page and heading to Florida Southern.

“I’m looking forward to a new start,” he said. “Being away from home, you have more hunger to play basketball and achieve what your goals are.”