­­Leon Ayers III, a 6-foot-5 guard from Troy, Michigan, has signed to play for Bowling Green State University men’s basketball.

Ayers joins the Falcons after playing the 2021-22 season at Duquesne. Ayers is the seventh newcomer for the Falcons for the upcoming season, joining forwards Madani Diarra, Sam Towns, Rashaun Agee and Jamai Felt and fellow guards Anthony McComb III and Willie Lightfoot.

“I am excited to officially welcome Leon Ayers III to our family,” said head coach Michael Huger. “Leon comes to BGSU after successful stints at Henry Ford JUCO, Mercer and Duquesne. A talented scorer and versatile player, Leon will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact. With his skill and experience, Leon will have a smooth transition to competing in the MAC.”

Ayers played in 27 games at Duquesne during the 2021-22 season, making 14 starts. He scored in double-digits 13 times during the season, including four 20-point games. Three of those four 20-point games came in consecutive contests with the third being against Bowling Green. Over the course of the season, Ayers averaged 10.0 points per game with 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest. He also added 29 steals to his stat line while shooting 37.2% from the field and 83.3% from the free throw line.

Ayers played the 2020-21 season at Mercer, being named to the All-SoCon Tournament Team. For the Bears, Ayers played in 29 games with seven starts. He finished third on the team for points per game with a mark of 12.2 at Mercer, finishing 20th in the Southern Conference. He also tallied 20 games with double-digit points, never scoring less than 14 points in a tournament game. Ayers filled out his stat line at Mercer with 3.8 rebounds per game and 1.9 assists while adding 36 steals and shooting 52.1% from the field, 39.0% from behind the arc and 73.8% from the free throw line.

Ayers began his collegiate career at Henry Ford College, playing two seasons for the Hawks where he was named a National Junior College Athletic Association All-American. In his second season at Henry Ford, Ayers averaged 21.7 points per game along with 8.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists. His points per game ranked 17th in the NJCAA while shooting 40.9% from the field and 82.9% from the free throw line.

“I chose BGSU because of the opportunity here,” Ayers said. “Bowling Green is close to home and it’s important to me that my family can see me play for my last year. It’s really exciting knowing they can watch me. I’ve been working really hard and I just want them to be able to see me more.

“BG is a great location for me to stay focused and I like the small community and the fans that come to support. Culture is a big thing for me and Coach Huger, Coach Wright and the whole staff have done a great job building Bowling Green’s culture. I feel like I can help the team win and the coaches will help me become a better player on the court and a better person off the court,” Ayers said.