'Bows courting forward, guard
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
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The recruiting run of the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team continued over the weekend, and the Rainbow Warriors are now in the running for two more players.
Dominick Brumfield and Bobby Miles completed their visit to the Mānoa campus yesterday, and both players said Hawai'i has emerged as a leading choice.
Brumfield is a 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward at Big Bend Community College in Washington.
"I'm feeling this great vibe about Hawai'i," he said.
Miles is a 6-1, 190-pound point guard at Workman High School in City of Industry, Calif.
"Hawai'i is a great place, the weather is great," he said. "Right now, that's the only place I'm looking at."
Brumfield averaged 14.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a freshman at Big Bend this past season, and was named to the second team of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges All-Eastern Region team.
Brumfield originally signed with Missouri State in 2008, but redshirted the 2008-09 season, then enrolled at Big Bend.
Brumfield played multiple positions at Big Bend, ranging from point guard to power forward.
"In our system, I played in the backcourt a lot," he said. "They used me to break the press, and I could shoot it inside or outside, depending on what the team needed."
Brumfield made 40 3-pointers in 25 games at Big Bend, and finished with a .408 percentage from 3-point range.
He said Hawai'i and San Jose State are his top choices, but he is also being recruited by Virginia Tech and SMU.
Brumfield is from Carson, Calif., but played his final season of prep basketball at Genesis One Prep school in Mississippi. He chose Missouri State over Arkansas, Oregon State and UNLV in 2008.
Miles averaged around 28 points and 14 rebounds per game as a senior at Workman High this past season. He was named to the All-CIF Division IV second team.
"The league we play in is not that competitive, but I was doing everything I could to help us win," Miles said.
Miles was being recruited by several schools in 2009, including UCLA, Nevada, Portland and Santa Clara. He said most of those schools stopped recruiting him when he could not make a commitment.
"A lot of schools wanted me to sign in November, but I wasn't ready and so I guess they gave out their scholarships," he said. "I'm really happy Hawai'i came along."
The basketball recruiting website www.hoopscooponline.com said Miles "might be the best player you've never heard of nationally in the class of 2010."
Per NCAA rules, new Hawai'i head coach Gib Arnold is not allowed to comment about recruits until a national letter of intent is signed.
Five recruits have already signed letters of intent to join the 'Bows next season: Bo Barnes, Jordan Coleman, Vander Joaquim, Josten Thomas and Trevor Wiseman.
Hawai'i has at least two more scholarships it can fill for the 2010-11 season, although that number could increase pending roster moves.