Men's Basketball Lands Three Recruits
Nov. 11, 2004
Coral Gables, Fla. (hurricanesports.com) – Head men’s basketball coach Frank Haith announces the signing of guard/forward Brian Asbury (South Miami), guard Denis Clemente (Miami Calusa Prep) and forward Adrian Thomas (Pembroke Pines Flanagan) to national letters of intent to attend the University of Miami next fall.
The three South Florida high school signees mark the most in one University of Miami recruiting class since the rebirth of the program in 1985-86.
“I am very excited about this year’s recruiting class,” said Haith. “When I took the job here at Miami I said that it would be a priority of ours to keep the best players in South Florida at home, and we were able to accomplish that today with the signing of Brian (Asbury), Denis (Clemente) and Adrian (Thomas).”
Asbury (6-6, 175), who was also considering Florida, averaged 20 points and eight rebounds per game last season leading South Miami to the State Championship game against Orlando Edgewater. He is a high honorable-mention All-America selection by Street & Smith and is ranked as the No. 82 overall prospect in the nation by Rivals.com.
“Brian is tremendously athletic and can play a number of different positions,” said Haith. “He is a great shooter and ball handler and will help us defensively on the perimeter.”
Clemente (6-0, 165), a native of Puerto Rico, chose Miami over a number of schools including Arkansas, Ohio State, and Cincinnati. He led the state of Florida in scoring as a junior averaging 33.5 points per game and was named the Class 1A Player of the Year. He is an honorable-mention All-America by Street & Smith Magazine, and is ranked No. 90 overall and as the 15th best point guard prospect in the nation by Rivals.com.
“Denis is a very talented basketball player,” said Haith. “He is an exceptional scorer who can also create opportunities for teammates. He is also a quality individual off the court who we think will fit nicely into our program.”
Thomas (6-7, 215), who chose UM over Georgia Tech, Cincinnati and UCLA, was the Sun-Sentinel 6A-5A-4A Player of the Year as a junior averaging 20.1 points and 10 rebounds per game. He led Flanagan to a Broward county best 25-4 record. He is ranked as the 47th overall prospect in the country by Basketball News, and is a Street & Smith honorable-mention All-American.
“What impresses me most about Adrian is his competitiveness and his versatility,” said Haith. “He is tough competitive player who does whatever he can to make his teammates better. He can score from the perimeter or in the paint, and will give us added size on the wing.”
