Miami basketball to get visit from 4-star point guard Andre Curbelo

The Miami basketball program got a big coup when Puerto Rican National Team player Andre Curbelo announced the Hurricanes as one of his five finalists on September 23. On Monday multiple media outlets reported Curbelo will visit Miami this weekend.

Andre Curbelo is a 6’0 155 pound point-guard who is a native of Puerto Rico but is playing high school basketball at Long Island Lutheran in New York. Curbelo is the 55th ranked player in the Class of 2020, the ninth-ranked point guard and the top-ranked player in Puerto Rico.

The Miami basketball program currently has one commit. Matt Cross, a 6’6 small forward from Brewster Academy in New Hampshire is the Hurricanes only commit for 2020. Brewster Academy is the same school that produced former Miami star guard Bruce Brown.

The Miami basketball program is recruiting several other point guards for 2020, but Curbelo is the highest ranted. Curbelo is the only four-star point guard Miami us currently pursuing according to 247 Sports. The other four finalists for Curbelo are Illinois, Indiana, Oregon and St. John’s.

Adam Zagoria of the New York Times and Andrew Slater of The Athletic both reported that Curbelo also has visits with the Fighting Illini and Ducks in October. If Miami gets a signs Curbelo to a National Letter of Intent in November or April 2020, he would like backup current Miami point guard Chris Lykes who will be a senior in 2020-21.

Curbelo would be Lykes heir apparent beginning in 2021-22. Miami has freshman Isaiah Wong and Harlond Beverly in this year’s freshman class.

Canes Warning’s Basketball guru Charlie Strauzer summarized Curbelo in an article examining the recruiting cycle for the Miami basketball program for 2019-20 earlier this month.

"“Andre Curbelo 6’0, 155, point guard, Long Island LutheranA tough, prototypical New Yorker point guard of Puerto Rican descent, the consensus four-star guard is ranked as high as 52nd by 24/7 Sports. Curbelo is high on the wish list for Larrañaga and his staff.While Andre Curbelo has yet to cut his list, he holds high-major offers from Miami, Florida, Kansas and Louisville among others. Canes are expected to make his initial cut with a high likelihood of him visiting Coral Gables this fall.”"

Strauzer prognostication about the Miami basketball program making Curbelo’s final five and visiting Coral Gables this fall was accurate. Getting Curbelo in town for the Miami football game against Virginia Tech will give the Hurricanes a chance to show the top ten point guard the atmosphere at the U for a big game.

Miami making the cut for Curbelo when traditional powers Kansas and Louisville did not is a big statement about the respect for head coach Jim Larranaga and the Miami basketball program. It will have been four reasons since the Hurricanes advanced past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The 2019-20 season is critical.

Miami needs a strong season and to potentially finish in the top half of the ACC in 2019-20 to continue the momentum the 2019 signing class the Hurricanes acquired. One key recruit can often impact the rest of a recruiting class. That is particularly true in basketball. Getting a commitment from Curbelo would build momentum for 2020.

The Miami basketball 2020 recruiting class is currently ranked 47th overall and eighth in the ACC with Cross as their only commitment. A commitment from Curbelo would skyrocket the 2020 Miami recruiting class to 16th, ahead of ACC rival Virginia Tech.

Miami’s 2019 signees of Beverly, Wong and forward Anthony Walker were 30th nationally and sixth in the ACC. The Hurricanes begin the season October 30 with an exhibition game against Flagler at the Watsco Center. Miami hosts Louisville November 5 in their first regular-season game of 2019-20.