There is indeed no chest-thumping or in-your-face pointing at opponents when Aiken makes the type of play that has revved up the home crowd at Hagan Arena.
"The beauty about C.J. is there is no disrespect. He doesn't show up an opponent, doesn't talk," Martelli said. "He is enjoying the success he's had, but he is not showing it."
The soft-spoken graduate of Plymouth Whitemarsh High School doesn't showboat for one reason: It would be out of character.
"I am real quiet and not that type of person," Aiken said.
Nothing is quiet about his game. He has blocked 48 shots this season, and his 4.8 average leads the nation.
It's not that Aiken in new to the scene. He was third in the nation last season with an average of 3.5 blocks per game. What is equally impressive this season is that he has committed just 16 personal fouls, an average of 1.6 per game.
For somebody who swats so many shots away, Aiken is rarely faked out and doesn't leave his feet unless he senses a successful swat coming.
"I learn a lot from our scouting report, and I want to stay on the floor, so I keep my hands up and try to go up strong when attempting to block a shot," he said.
Earlier this season, Aiken tied his career high with nine blocked shots as the Hawks swatted a team-record 16 in a 62-49 win over Drexel. He has twice had six blocked shots in a game.
"He's got great reactions, great length and tremendous timing," said American University coach Jeff Jones, who saw Aiken block six shots in the Hawks' 66-60 loss on Dec. 4. "He is as good as I've seen in a while at blocking shots."
Aiken is averaging 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds, and he has also hit nine three-point field goals. He scores most of his points on medium range jumpers and dunks, and his offensive game is raw but improving.
