Transfers are having an increasingly significant impact on the success of America East men’s basketball programs.

That may bode well for the University of Maine, which has acquired Carvell Ammons, a 6-foot-6 transfer from the University of Illinois.

Ammons, a native of Champaign, Ill., has enrolled at UMaine and should be eligible to compete for the Black Bears at the end of the fall 1999 semester.

Ammons is a proven performer in the Big Ten, having started 26 of 29 games at Northwestern during the 1996-97 season, when he was the Wildcats’ third-leading scorer with 8.3 points per game. After transferring to Illinois and sitting out the ’97-98 campaign, he has opted to find a situation more to his liking.

Coach John Giannini is glad UMaine fits Ammons’ needs.

“It’s a case of him really wanting to make the most of the next couple of years and being in a roster situation where that’s possible,” Giannini said.

“[Ammons] has known Huggy Dye and [assistant] coach [Mike] Mennenga for several years,” Giannini said, explaining how UMaine found out about the prospect. “People recruit through hard work and years of building up a good reputation.”

Giannini described Ammons, who appeared in two games this season for the Fighting Illini, as physically similar to Bears senior center Allen Ledbetter.

“He’s in that same size range as the prototype inside-outside forward in this conference,” Giannini said. “He’s probably not as strong inside as Allen, but probably could step outside a little bit more.”

Ammons becomes the seventh player to transfer to UMaine since Giannini took over as the head coach in 1996. Seniors Fred Meeks and Marcus Wills arrived as junior-college transfers in 1997, when Andy Bedard and Nate Fox left Boston College to attend UMaine.

Linnell Marshall was next, joining the program in December of 1997 after playing at Champlain Junior College in Vermont. Then last July came Julian Dunkley, a transfer from Temple who becomes eligible next fall.

Giannini conceded transfers are becoming an increasingly important component of the program-building process, pointing to the success achieved by the last two America East champions.

Last season, Delaware went to the NCAA Tournament with all-conference guard Keith Davis (via Virginia Commonwealth) and forward Darryl Presley (Virginia). Runner-up Boston University utilized Duke transfer Joey Beard, forward Walter Brown (Holy Cross) and forward Matt Curley (Duquesne).

During 1996-97, BU won with help from all-league pick Beard.

“It’s very simple, the team with the best transfers have won it,” Giannini said. “Let’s face it, we’d all like to recruit these kids out of high school, but we can’t.”

Giannini said Maine and the other mid-level Division I teams competing in America East are often a good option for players who get lost in the big-time college shuffle.

UMaine is already reaping the benefits of its talented transfers. The 11-4 Bears, who were 7-20 last winter, sit atop America East with a 6-1 league record.