Miami basketball signs top 20 class on Early National Signing Day
The Miami basketball program signed its highest-ranked class since 2017 on Early National Signing Day on Wednesday. Miami signed four-star players, center Favour Aire and forward A.J. Casey and three-star small forwards Danilo Jovanovich and Christian Watson. Aire didn’t make his choice public until Wednesday.
Miami has the sixth-ranked class in the ACC. From legendary Whitney Young High School in Chicago, Casey is the highest-ranked player in the 2022 Miami signing Class. Casey is the 67th ranked player, 12th ranked power forward and third-ranked player in basketball talent-rich Illinois. Casey is 6’8, 180 pounds.
Miami gained much-needed size with the addition of Aire on Wednesday. Aire is 6’11, 215 pounds and the 106th player, 18th ranked center and fourth-ranked player in Maryland out of Bishop McNamara in District Heights, Maryland, Southeast of Washington, D.C. Larranaga has done very well recruiting the DMV area.
Watson is the 140th ranked player, 35th ranked SF and the top-ranked player in Washington D.C. out of St.John’s, Jovanovich out of Whitnall High School in Milwaukee is the 198th ranked player, 44th ranked SF and fourth-ranked player in Wisconsin. Miami will definitely lose five players at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Guards Kameron McGusty and Charlie Moore, forwards Jordan Miller and Sam Waardenburg and center Rodney Miller are in their last seasons of eligibility in 2021-22. Miami basketball head coach Jim Larranaga expects third-year sophomore Isaiah Wong to leave following the 2021-22 season.
Fourth-yard junior center-forward Deng Gak is the only big man Miami currently has on the roster who has eligibility remaining beyond this season. Expect Larranaga and his staff to look to the transfer portal to add depth and experience to the roster. Jordan Miller and Moore were added as transfers during the 2021 offseason.
Next. Miami picked 12th in ACC, Wong 1st team All-Conference. dark
Miami would be extremely young without adding any transfers next season. Also expected to return in 2021-22 are guard Harlond Beverly and forward Anthony Walker. Beverly, Gak and Walker will be the veterans entering next season. Miami signed freshmen Bensley Joseph, Wooga Poplar and Jakai Robinson in the 2021 class.