Men’s Basketball Adds Impact Scorer In Shaquil Bender

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Chris Acker and his staff announced the addition of a major Division I transfer, welcoming guard Shaquil Bender to the Beach after two seasons at Manhattan.

 

Shaquil Bender | Guard | 6-2, 185 | Philadelphia, Pa.

 

Hailing from Philadelphia where he was All-State as a senior, Bender got his collegiate career started in the junior college ranks in Southern California. As a true freshman, Bender averaged 19.0 points and 2.0 assists per game while earning First Team All-South Coast Conference honors. Transferring to Fullerton College as a sophomore, Bender led the Hornets to a CCCAA State Championship, going 32-1 while averaging 13.6 points and 1.3 assists per game, shooting 47.1 percent from three, and scoring 23 points in the state championship game.

 

Making the move to Division I, Bender led Manhattan in scoring at 13.8 points per game while shooting 34.1 percent from distance. Last season, he averaged 11.2 points per game and over two assists per game for the Jaspers, who made a 10-game improvement.

 

Acker on Bender:

“It was incredibly important for us to secure Shaq, simply because he’s a guy who knows how to win and I know he’s been coached extremely hard. He’s a very good scorer, but most importantly for us, he is an elite competitor. We needed to address toughness, grit, and scoring and he checks all of those boxes.”

 

Bender is Long Beach State’s second Division I addition via transfer this summer, joining Isaiah Lewis of Little Rock and becoming part of the growing group forming the 2025-26 roster.