PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - Today, University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Men's Basketball head coach Bobby Collins announced the signing of three JUCO transfers joining the Hawk family this season. Transfers Bakari Copeland (Decatur, Ga.), Thomas Rivera (Harlem, N.Y.) and Marc Seylan (Paris, France) will don the Maroon & Gray for the Hawks.

Copeland hails from the Peach State after playing two seasons at Kilgore College. In 2015, he was selected to the NJCAA Region XIV All-Conference and All-Region teams. A year ago, Copeland finished second on the squad in scoring, posting 10.3 points-per-game (PPG).

In high school, Copeland played two seasons at Arabia Mountain where he was named to the All-Region team. In 2013, he won the DeKalb County and Atlanta Journal-Constitution Slam Dunk Contest while averaging more than 23 points-per-game (PPG).

Rivera attended Monroe College for two seasons and guided them to a NJCAA Men's Division I Region XV Championship a year ago. He netted 9.4 PPG and led the squad in assist-per-game (APG). In his first season, Rivera recorded 6.9 PPG, 3.4 APG, and shot nearly 73-percent from the charity stripe. Furthermore, he reunites with guard Devin Martin (Baltimore) where both student-athletes played for the Mustangs during the 2013-14 season.

At Paterson Eastside H.S., Rivera earned All-County and All-Defensive honors and guided the club to a runner-up finish in the county. He posted 14 PPG and 4.0 APG, including a career-high 28 points.

Seylan is the only international student-athlete for the Hawks as he hails from Paris, France. Last season, he played for New Mexico Military Institute where he led the squad to a 15-12 overall record. Seylan registered 8.5 PPG in his final year.

In high school, the Frenchman was ranked among the top guards in Illinois, according to ILprepbullseyes.com. Seylan will major in Sociology at UMES.

The squad brings back seven Hawks, led by Martin, 2015 All-MEAC selection Dominique Elliott (Savannah, Ga.) and 2015 MEAC Rookie of the Year Ryan Andino (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.).

For complete recaps, results and news of Hawk athletics, please visitwww.umeshawks.com .