Florida prospect Felipe Haase to sign with Gamecocks
Miami (Florida) Miami Christian forward Felipe Haase will sign with South Carolina today around noon.
The 6-foot-9 post took official visits recently to Missouri, Pittsburgh, Purdue, and South Carolina, ultimately choosing Frank Martin's program.
"I'm very excited to sign my letter of intent today with South Carolina," Haase said in a statement. "It's been a longtime dream of mine to play NCAA college basketball. I want to thank the universities of Purdue, Pittsburgh, and Missouri for their efforts in recruiting me. I want to thank my mentor, Art Alvarez, and my high school coach, Juan Cardona. I also thank my home country of Chile for all the support you have provided me over the years."
Miami Christian head coach Juan Cardona said: "I'm so happy for Felipe. He has worked extremely hard for this opportunity. We feel he's one of the best skilled big men in the country. We expect big things from Felipe this year at Miami Christian."
The aforementioned Alvarez, who is the founder of the Miami Tropics AAU program and has a longstanding relationship with Frank Martin, also weighed in on Haase and his recruitment.
"This is one of the toughest decisions I've ever been around, "he said. "Our program has sent over 150 kids to Division I programs for over a decade-plus. It came down to a pros and cons analysis on each side. While Felipe had great visits at the other schools, he felt a special bond with head coach Frank Martin. He also felt he can come in and play right away as a freshman for the Gamecocks."
Haase joins fellow Florida product Ibrahim Doumbia and Palmetto State center Jason Cudd in the Gamecocks' 2017 recruiting class.
