Highly-touted basketball recruit narrows list to University of Miami and Illinois
Andre Curbelo, a four-star recruit out of Long Island (N.Y.) Lutheran High, announced Tuesday night that he narrowed his college list to the University of Miami and University of Illinois. He will announce his decision Nov. 1 at 10:30 a.m.
Curbelo is rated the No. 55 player in the Class of 2020 and the ninth-best point guard in the nation.
He is a native of Puerto Rico, and drawn to UM partly because of the success of former Puerto Rican Hurricane basketball stars Guillermo Diaz and Angel Rodriguez. Miami’s large Hispanic community is also said to be a factor in his decision.
Miami head coach Jim Larranaga and top assistant Chris Caputo visited Curbelo in New York a few weeks ago and traveled to Puerto Rico to meet with Curbelo’s family.
“Thank you to all the schools that have recruited me this far. But after speaking with my family and coach these are my final 2,” he wrote on Twitter, alongside a photo of himself with the UM and Illinois logos. The other three schools he had been considering were Indiana, Oregon and St. John’s.
Rodriguez, a fiery point guard, played for UM from 2014 to 2016 and has played pro in France, Israel, Puerto Rico and the NBA G-League. He led the team to the Sweet 16.
Diaz, a former volleyball player known for his leaping ability, played for the Canes from 2003 to 2006 and was picked in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. He has spent most of his pro career playing overseas.
Miami recently got its first verbal commitment from the Class of 2020.
Matt Cross, a four-star forward from Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, chose UM over Indiana, Florida, Texas A&M, South Carolina and Butler.
Cross, who is 6-7 and 225 pounds, is a hybrid forward who was one of the hottest players on the recruiting trail this summer. He averaged 23.3 points and 9.5 rebounds in 18 games with Boston-based club BABC in Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL). He plays for the same club team as former Hurricane Bruce Brown, now with the Detroit Pistons, and the same high school as UM freshman Anthony Walker.
This story was originally published October 30, 2019 at 8:23 AM.