TAMPA ? University of South Florida men's basketball coach Stan Heath announced today the signing of guards Jordan Dumars and Shaun Noriega to NCAA Letters of Intent during the November signing period. The signing period runs through Nov. 19.
Dumars (6-5, 225) and Noriega (6-4, 195) will join USF as freshmen for the 2009-10 season and bring with them sharp-shooting skills and perimeter size. Noriega is already North Port High School's all-time leading scorer in just three seasons with 1,282 points, while Dumars holds perennial high school power Detroit Country Day's single-game record for 3-point field goals made with nine.
“We felt we needed to address our perimeter shooting and both Shaun and Jordan are very skilled players that can stretch the defense and consistently knock down 3-point shots,” said USF Head Coach Stan Heath. “We also felt both players had very high basketball IQ's and will be players that will make good decisions and be good teammates. Both players come from winning programs and have very strong academic backgrounds.”
SIGNEES
Jordan Dumars, Guard
High School: Detroit Country Day
Hometown: Detroit, Mich.
6-5, 225
Rated as the 92nd best small forward nationally by ESPN.com... Plays for Detroit Country Day, one of the top high school programs in the country and seven-time Michigan state champion... Coached by Kurt Keener at Detroit Country Day... Averaged 14 points and six rebounds as a junior, including a game where he connected on a school-record nine 3-point field goals... He also shot better than 80 percent from the free throw line and over 42 percent from behind the arc... Was sixth man on Country Day's state championship team as a sophomore... Past greats who have played at Country Day include Chris Webber and Shane Battier... Plays for The Family AAU team and is coached by Speedy Walker... Son of Joe and Debbie Dumars... Joe is a former Detroit Pistons great and current Pistons President of Basketball Operations... Joe spent his entire 14-year career with the Pistons and was a six-time All-Star, won two NBA Championships and was the 1989 NBA Finals MVP... Has one younger sister, Aren... Born February 25, 1991... Chose USF over Duquesne, Dayton and Michigan.
Shaun Noriega, Guard
High School: North Port
Hometown: North Port, Fla.
6-4, 195
Attends North Port High School in North Port, Fla., where he is already the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,282 points in just three seasons... Was a Class 5A Third-Team All-State pick as a junior, as well as the 5A Sarasota/Manatee County Player of the Year... Was also a Charlotte Sun-Herald First-Team All Area selection as a junior and sophomore... Helped North Port to a 20-7 record last season where he averaged 24.1 points and 4.1 rebounds, to go along with 28 assists and 43 steals... Was MVP of the Suncoast Cup Tournament... Is coached by Curt Allen at North Port... Plays for the Florida Elite AAU squad and is coached by Conrad Foss... Son of Holly Wynne and Gilberto Noriega... Has three older brothers, Noel, Bryan and Gilberto, and three older sisters, Shirin, Amelia and Gracelia... Born Oct. 26, 1990... Chose USF over Notre Dame, Butler and Washington State.
COACH HEATH QUOTES
WHAT COACH HEATH IS SAYING ABOUT JORDAN DUMARS....
“Jordan has great bloodlines. His feel for the game, his strength to go with his skills, are plusses that will help him contribute to our team. He has a lot of basketball upside in front of him and will continue to work hard to get better. I know he is very excited about being a part of our program as well as we are.”
WHAT COACH HEATH IS SAYING ABOUT SHAUN NORIEGA...
“We were looking at several players state-wide that fit the athletic, wing-player, skilled shooting-player mold and he was the first player we identified. Shaun was very excited about South Florida and we continued to follow him and Shaun made a decision early in the process that this is where he wanted to be. His shooting skills, his ability to elevate to get his shot, as well the athletic ability to play above the rim are two special traits that Shaun has that will help our program.”
